The Effect of Off-farm Work on Production Intensity and Output Structure

Consumer/Household Economics, Farm Management,

How effective are heuristic solutions for electricity planning in developing countries

Acknowledgement The first author would like to acknowledge the University of Aberdeen and the Henderson Economics Research Fund for funding his PhD studies in the period 2011-2014 which formed the basis for the research presented in this paper. The first author would also like to acknowledge the Macaulay Development Trust which funds his postdoctoral fellowship with The James Hutton Institute, Aberdeen, Scotland. The authors thank two anonymous referees for valuable comments and suggestions on earlier versions of this paper. All usual caveats applyPeer reviewedPostprin

Imperfection du marché du capital et investissement des exploitations agricoles

Le but de notre article est de rechercher les déterminants des décisions d’investissement des exploitants agricoles français en présence d’imperfections du marché du capital. Les contraintes d’accès au marché du crédit qui semblent jouer un rôle croissant en France sont prises en compte en intégrant des coûts de transaction associés aux emprunts et en définissant un plafond d’endettement. L’introduction de ces imperfections conduit à la simultanéité entre les décisions financières et les décisions d’investissement de l’exploitation. Un des résultats du modèle est de montrer que, pour comprendre les variations du taux d’investissement, il est nécessaire de différencier les exploitations ayant contracté des emprunts sur deux années successives. Le modèle est estimé sur données de panel en utilisant la méthode des moments généralisés. Le modèle n’est pas rejeté par les données pour le sous-échantillon des exploitations où le chef d’exploitation a une formation générale, le sous-échantillon des grandes exploitations.This article looks for the determinants of the investment decisions for French farmers in presence of imperfections of the capital market. The access constraints to the credit market which seems to play a growing role in France are taken into account by integrating transaction costs associated with borrowings and by defining restrictions on credit. One result of the model is that it is necessary to differentiate farms according to their borrowing behaviour to understand the variations of the rate of investment. This model has been tested and estimated with french farm level panel data using Generalised Method of Moments. The results indicate that the model using the perfect capital market assumption is rejected. In contrast, the equations using the sample selection rule from the theoretical model are not rejected for big farms and for farms which are conducted by farm operators who have a high general education level

Rural Homeownership and Labor Mobility in the U.S.

Labor and Human Capital,

THE DYNAMICS OF INCOME AND EMPLOYMENT IN RURAL CANADA: THE RISK OF POVERTY AND EXCLUSION

Food Security and Poverty, Labor and Human Capital,

The Dynamics of Energy Poverty : Evidence from Spain

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

IS IT EASIER TO ESCAPE FROM LOW PAY IN URBAN AREAS? EVIDENCE FROM THE UK

In this paper we compare periods of low pay employment between rural and urban areas in the UK. Using the British Household Panel Survey, we estimate the probability that a period of low pay employment will end allowing for a number of possible outcomes, namely to a "high pay" job, self-employment, unemployment and out of the labour force. The results show that there are statistically significant differences in the dynamics of low pay across urban and rural labour markets, particularly in terms of exits to high pay and out of the labour force. After controlling for different personal and job characteristics across markets, rural low pay durations are slightly longer on average, with a lower probability that rural workers will move to high pay. However, the results suggest that the most significant urban-rural differences in the typical low pay experience are concentrated among certain types of individuals, e.g. young workers, women without qualifications.Labor and Human Capital,

The Politico-Economics of Electricity Planning in Developing Countries : A Case Study of Ghana

The first author would like to thank the University of Aberdeen and the Henderson Economics Research Fund for funding his PhD studies in the period 2011-2014 which formed the basis for the research presented in this paper.Peer reviewedPostprin

SHORT-TERM EMPLOYMENT TRANSITIONS OF THE CANADIAN LABOUR FORCE: RURAL-URBAN DIFFERENCES

Using data from the Canadian Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID) for the period 1993-1996, we examine patterns and determinants of labour force transitions of adequately employed and underemployed workers in an attempt to explore whether employment dynamics significantly differ between rural and urban workers so as to disadvantage rural economic performance. The results indicate that rural underemployed workers in Canada are, in the short run (year-to-year transitions) equally likely to enter adequate employment as adequately employed individuals are to enter underemployment. Further, we also found there is weak evidence that education level of rural workers has a lower impact on the probability of moving out of underemployment than in urban areas. In addition rural women are significantly less likely than their male cunterparts and urban workers to enter adeequate employment although the presence of young children does not seem to especially constrain rural women's employment. The results suggest that labour force transition in and out of adequate employment, and particularly underemployment, significantly differ between rural and urban workers and should be taken into account when evaluating employment hardship in rural Canada.Community/Rural/Urban Development, Labor and Human Capital,

Imperfection du marché du capital et investissement des exploitations agricoles

This article looks for the determinants of the investment decisions for French farmers in presence of imperfections of the capital market. The access constraints to the credit market which seems to play a growing role in France are taken into account by integrating transaction costs associated with borrowings and by defining restrictions on credit. One result of the model is that it is necessary to differentiate farms according to their borrowing behaviour to understand the variations of the rate of investment. This model has been tested and estimated with french farm level panel data using Generalised Method of Moments. The results indicate that the model using the perfect capital market assumption is rejected. In contrast, the equations using the sample selection rule from the theoretical model are not rejected for big farms and for farms which are conducted by farm operators who have a high general education level. Le but de notre article est de rechercher les déterminants des décisions d’investissement des exploitants agricoles français en présence d’imperfections du marché du capital. Les contraintes d’accès au marché du crédit qui semblent jouer un rôle croissant en France sont prises en compte en intégrant des coûts de transaction associés aux emprunts et en définissant un plafond d’endettement. L’introduction de ces imperfections conduit à la simultanéité entre les décisions financières et les décisions d’investissement de l’exploitation. Un des résultats du modèle est de montrer que, pour comprendre les variations du taux d’investissement, il est nécessaire de différencier les exploitations ayant contracté des emprunts sur deux années successives. Le modèle est estimé sur données de panel en utilisant la méthode des moments généralisés. Le modèle n’est pas rejeté par les données pour le sous-échantillon des exploitations où le chef d’exploitation a une formation générale, le sous-échantillon des grandes exploitations.