Research investigación

Agribusiness, 39(4), 1100-1116

This study proposes a generalized demand system accommodating structural changes endogenously and examines how increasing imports affect blueberry prices and shipment values in the US market. Specifically, we integrate a smooth transformation function into the nested synthetic inverse demand system model (SIDS). We show that the proposed approach performs better than the standard SIDS in the context of structural changes in imports in the US blueberry market. As the largest blueberry producer in the world, the United States has supplied half of the world’s blueberries over the past decade. Imported blueberries from South American countries do not have large impacts on the US blueberry industry due to the difference in production seasons. But the fast-growing imports from Mexico have had great impacts on the US market. Our simulation shows that a 100% increase in Mexican blueberry shipments will result in a loss of $20 million in US domestic production.

Agronomy, 13(4), 972

Bacterial spot of tomato (BST) is a disease that severely afflicts tomato crops, especially in geographic areas such as the Southeastern U.S., where the environmental conditions favor rapid disease development. Farmers usually use chemical treatments such as copper–mancozeb mixtures and acibenzolar-S-methyl, among other methods, to manage BST. However, these chemical treatments generally fail to improve marketable yields, thus raising the question of whether the BST treatments are economical. We evaluated the efficacy and profitability of bactericide treatments consisting of copper-mancozeb, acibenzolar-S-methyl, and streptomycin, as well as three inoculation levels of Xanthomonas euvesicatoria pv. perforans, on the management of BST in Florida. Across three separate field trials, BST severity was inversely correlated with marketable tomato yields; however, bactericide treatments provided no statistical improvement in marketable yields. By accounting for yield and the BST treatment costs, our profitability analysis showed that the BST treatments did not pay off economically; the net returns of these treatments were statistically equivalent to the untreated controls.

Communications Earth & Environment, 5

Our health and active life depend critically on nutritious food. While agriculture and food production increased over the past decades, millions of people are still unable to meet their dietary needs, starkly contrasting the overconsumption and the enormous amount of food wasted daily.

Applied Economics, 46(29), 3572-3580.

This article analyses wage flexibility as a factor in the unemployment rate across 12 Euro Area countries. We use extensive evidence pertaining to the countercyclical behaviour of the labour income share ratio to estimate its equilibrium value in the long run. This measure is calculated using a hybrid New Keynesian Phillips curve. Additionally, by using spatial econometrics, we can incorporate into the study the interdependence in the inflation among the countries. As a result, we identify countries that might see an improvement in their employment rates by improving their wage flexibility. We also identify countries with high unemployment that is not a consequence of a lack of wage flexibility.

Horticulturae 8(10), 856

Sweet potatoes have become increasingly popular among consumers due to their health benefits, and, as a result, sweet potato production has been growing rapidly over the last decade in the United States. However, the industry is facing major challenges, including the risk of disease outbreaks and adverse weather events, which could potentially have a significant impact on the market. However, the economic literature on the sweet potato commodity is limited. This study models the U.S. sweet potato market price response to supply changes and derives elasticity estimates. This information is essential for understanding the sweet potato market and for simulating the impacts of potential supply shocks, given the challenges that the industry is facing. We found that prices are highly sensitive to supply. North Carolina, the largest sweet potato producer in the country, dominates the domestic market and exerts significantly larger influences on market prices than other producing states.

EDIS 2021 (6)

The Mexican government has various subsidy programs under its National Development Plan. This publication focuses on The Program of Agri-Food Productivity and Competitiveness, one of the major agricultural subsidy programs administered by the Ministry of Agriculture that subsidize economic activities in the agri-food supply chain. The publication describes the structure of the program, the subsidy rules and amounts.

International Journal Of Intellectual Property Management, 10(4), 396-408.

Intellectual property is related to industrial property and copyright, and in both cases is considered to be an indicator of innovation and development. The study of innovation subsidies given to innovative firms has been widely reviewed in developed economies, but there is very little empirical evidence for developing countries. And this study looks to provide new insights into developing countries, which motivates the originality of this paper. The goal of this study was to measure the impact on income of a group of subsidies that support innovative business processes in a developing country, Chile. Our database consisted of a panel with 1,523 Chilean firms during two periods: 2007 and 2009. Difference in difference was applied to the data panel and selection bias was decreased through propensity score matching. Results indicate a significant and positive effect of the group of innovative subsidies on the income of treated firms.

Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research, 17(1), 1-13.

Despite evidence highlighting the multiple benefits that liberalization can have in the agricultural sector, agricultural protectionism is abundant, especially in developing countries. Chile provides an interesting case on this topic because it implemented an aggressive liberalization in the agricultural sector during the 1970s and 1980s. This paper analyzes the impact of farm protectionism on the use of agricultural inputs in Chile. To do this, we estimated partial elasticities of substitution by incorporating government protectionism as a factor for agricultural production. Our findings reveal that increased protectionism decreases agricultural labor and promotes the use of fixed capital. In contrast, protectionism has no effect on the use of working capital and land. This information shows a clear transference from the government to farmers. Furthermore, our results are useful for anticipating the effects that varying levels of government protectionism can have on the Chilean agricultural sector over time.

Journal of Technological Management and Innovation, 14(4), 31-40.

There is abundant empirical evidence supporting the relationship between cooperation and innovative entrepreneurial activity, but the conversation continues to be limited to the context of developing countries. This study contributes to the academic debate on this topic with an empirical evaluation of the effect of cooperation networks on innovation, using Chile in Latin America as a case study. Furthermore, while previous studies mainly refer to technological innovations in a particular industrial sector, in this paper we will build an innovation measurement system that incorporates both technological and non-technological activities among diverse industrial sectors. Upon applying cross-sectional data from a national survey on innovation in a developing firm from two different years to a zero-inflated negative binomial regression, we found that a business that reports on cooperation conducts more innovative activities per year compared to one that does not. The type of agent that a business cooperates with is also relevant in this context; other businesses, clients, and consultants showed stronger and more stable results than other types of agents. This evidence is relevant as it presents new information about the importance of the type of agent that a business cooperates with in the context of developing countries.

Revista de Análisis Económico, 31(1), 37-58.

In this study, a method will be developed and applied for estimating biological migration parameters of the biomass of a fishery resource by means of a decision analysis of the spatial behavior of the fleet. First, a model of discrete selection is estimated, together with patch capture function. This will allow estimating the biomass availability on each patch. In the second regression, values of biomass are used in order to estimate a model of biological migration between patches. This method is proven in the Chilean jack mackerel fishery. This will allow estimating statistically significant migration parameters, identifying migration patterns.

Revista médica de Chile, 143(8), 987-994.

Background: Absenteism can generate important economic costs. Aim: To analyze the determinants of the time off work for sick leaves granted to workers of a regional health service. Material and Methods: Information about 2033 individuals, working at a health service, that were granted at least one sick leave during 2012, was analyzed. Personal identification was censored. Special emphasis was given to the type of health insurance system of the workers (public or private). Results: Workers ascribed to the Chilean public health insurance system (FONASA) had 11 days more off work than their counterparts ascribed to private health insurance systems. A higher amount of time off work was observed among older subjects and women. Conclusions: Age, gender and the type of health insurance system influence the number of day off work due to sick leaves.

Ciencia e Investigación Agraria, 42(2), 171-179.

Innovations are divided into four types: product, process, marketing and organizational (OECD, 2007). An extensive body of literature on the introduction of technological innovations in Chilean agricultural firms focuses on PP (product and process), but it is very limited with respect to groups of firms and non-technological innovations (MO, marketing and organization). The main objective of this article is to estimate the decision to innovate and the propensity to innovate in non-technological domains in Chilean agricultural firms. A zero-inflated count model is used to estimate, in a combined fashion, both innovation decisions and the propensity to innovate. Two versions of the Encuesta Nacional de Innovación (National Innovation Survey) were merged (2010 and 2012), and 403 agricultural firms were identified. Among the main results, the number of employees and the level of imports are found to positively impact the propensity to innovate in MO. Variables such as cooperation and networking with customers and suppliers are found to help push Chilean agricultural firms into innovative activity.

Applied Economics, 46(29), 3572-3580.

This article analyses wage flexibility as a factor in the unemployment rate across 12 Euro Area countries. We use extensive evidence pertaining to the countercyclical behaviour of the labour income share ratio to estimate its equilibrium value in the long run. This measure is calculated using a hybrid New Keynesian Phillips curve. Additionally, by using spatial econometrics, we can incorporate into the study the interdependence in the inflation among the countries. As a result, we identify countries that might see an improvement in their employment rates by improving their wage flexibility. We also identify countries with high unemployment that is not a consequence of a lack of wage flexibility.

Universitas Psychologica, 16(4), 1-10.

The aim of this research is to validate the Family Quality of Life Scale (FQLS) in a Chilean population and to analyze the factor structure (scope) of this research tool through the critical area map. Cross-sectional, correlational, and causal study was carry on 316 families. The Spanish version of the FQSL was used. An exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was conducted. Results showed Cronbach´s alpha for the FQLS subscales on Importance rate was 0.884 and on Satisfaction 0.891. The exploratory factor analysis found five dimensions for both categories, and the confirmatory factor analysis showed factor loadings greater than 0.5 for each dimension. Regarding discriminant validity, the cross-loadings varied between 0.64 to 0.97 on Importance and 0.62 to 0.98 on Satisfaction. In relation to convergent validity, each dimension reached a variance above 0.5. Conclusions of the study proved a reliable and valid tool to measure features of family quality of life in a Chilean population. The instrument has high levels of internal consistency and suitable discriminant and convergent validity.

Revista Chilena de Nutrición, 48(1), 18-30.

The aim of this study was to validate the Parental Style Scale and to assess a possible association between parenting styles and sociodemographic factors with childhood overweight and obesity in students of municipal educational establishments. The sample was composed of 217 children between 4 and 7 years old in schools in Chillán, Chile, and their caregivers. The instruments included the Parental Style Scale and a demographic questionnaire. The Parental Style Scale was validated and constructs used in a linear model to determine the relationship between the parental style and child BMI z-score. A logistic model was used to determine the relationship between parenting style and the probability of going from a normal nutritional state to one with overweight. It was found that high levels of parental affection were associated with overweight and obesity in children. From the sociodemographic variables evaluated, only the primary education level of parents was associated with overweight and obesity in the child. The implications for professional intervention with families are discussed.