Economic impact of organic agriculture hotspots in the United States

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 501-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Julia Marasteanu ◽  
Edward C. Jaenicke

AbstractIn this paper, we assess whether or not organic agriculture has a positive impact on local economies. We first identify organic agriculture hotspots (clusters of counties with positively correlated high numbers of organic operations) using spatial statistics. Then, we estimate a treatment effects model that classifies a county's membership in an organic hotspot as an endogenous treatment variable. By modeling what a hotspot county's economic indicators would have been had the county not been part of a hotspot, this model captures the effect of being in a hotspot on a county's economic indicators. We perform the same analysis for general agricultural farm hotspots to confirm that the benefits associated with organic production hotspots are, in fact, due to the organic component. Our results show that organic hotspot membership leads to a lower county-level poverty rate and a higher median household income. A similar result is not found when investigating the impact of general agriculture hotspots. On the other hand, our result is robust to alternative hotspot definitions based on type of organic operations to alternative methods of estimating average treatment effects on the treated. These results provide strong motivation for considering hotspots of organic handling operations, which refers to middlemen such as processors, wholesalers and brokers, and hotspots of organic production to be local economic development tools, and may be of interest to policymakers whose objective is to promote rural development. Our results may incentivize policymakers to specifically focus on organic development, rather than the more general development of agriculture, as a means to promote economic growth in rural areas, and may further point them in the direction of not only encouraging the presence of organic operations, but of fostering the development of clusters or hotspots of these operations.

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 27-32
Author(s):  
Olha Alieksieieva

The purpose of the article is to study the impact of the basic principles and benefits of the development of cooperative movement on the development of organic agricultural production, as well as to determine the role of cooperation in the development of organic entrepreneurship. Methodology. The author has used the methods of analysis and synthesis, the method of statistical grouping and comparison, induction and deduction, structural and functional approach to solve the problems and achieve the goals. The study is based on the comparative analysis and synthesis of scientific literature. Results. Organic food is increasing in popularity. The growing demand is mainly attributable to consumer concerns about negative implications of conventional agriculture for human health and the environment. Organic agriculture has a great potential to neutralize a negative impact of agricultural intensification on the environment. The article describes the concept and analyzes the current state of cooperation in agriculture. It is found that during the period under the research, the number of registered cooperatives has increased by almost 45%. The concepts of organic agriculture and organic production are clarified. The dynamics of agricultural lands engaged in organic production and the number of certified organic farms in Ukraine are studied. It is indicated that the consumption of organic products in Ukraine is much lower than in the European countries and the United States. The advantages of introducing a cooperative movement in the field of organic agriculture are identified. Being part of a cooperative helps small farms to be able to produce enough to generate profits and ensure their substance, which is an opportunity to compete with larger companies. Risks arising in the process of establishing organic cooperatives are outlined considering the international experience. It is concluded that efficient organic farming cooperatives can support local and export markets, stimulate production efficiency and promote local logistics. Practical implications. The advantages of consolidation of enterprises and entrepreneurs in the field of organic agriculture on the basis of cooperation can be used for the development of state programs to support the cooperative movement in organic farming. Value/originality. Views on the organization of production, processing and logistics activities of organic agricultural producers through the introduction of cooperatives have been expanded.


Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 444
Author(s):  
Charles Stoecker

In the past two decades, most states in the United States have added authorization for pharmacists to administer some vaccinations. Expansions of this authority have also come with prescription requirements or other regulatory burdens. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of these expansions on influenza immunization rates in adults age 65 and over. A panel data, differences-in-differences regression framework to control for state-level unobserved confounders and shocks at the national level was used on a combination of a dataset of state-level statute and regulatory changes and influenza immunization data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Giving pharmacists permission to vaccinate had a positive impact on adult influenza immunization rates of 1.4 percentage points for adults age 65 and over. This effect was diminished by the presence of laws requiring pharmacists to obtain patient-specific prescriptions. There was no evidence that allowing pharmacists to administer vaccinations led patients to have fewer annual check-ups with physicians or not have a usual source of health care. Expanding pharmacists’ scope of practice laws to include administering the influenza vaccine had a positive impact on influenza shot uptake. This may have implications for relaxing restrictions on other forms of care that could be provided by pharmacists.


2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-75
Author(s):  
Tomasz M. Napiórkowski

Abstract The aim of this research is to asses the hypothesis that foreign direct investment (FDI) and international trade have had a positive impact on innovation in one of the most significant economies in the world, the United States (U.S.). To do so, the author used annual data from 1995 to 2010 to build a set of econometric models. In each model, 11 in total) the number of patent applications by U.S. residents is regressed on inward FDI stock, exports and imports of the economy as a collective, and in each of the 10 SITC groups separately. Although the topic of FDI is widely covered in the literature, there are still disagreements when it comes to the impact of foreign direct investment on the host economy [McGrattan, 2011]. To partially address this gap, this research approaches the host economy not only as an aggregate, but also as a sum of its components (i.e., SITC groups), which to the knowledge of this author has not yet been done on the innovation-FDI-trade plane, especially for the U.S. Unfortunately, the study suffers from the lack of available data. For example, the number of patents and other used variables is reported in the aggregate and not for each SITC groups (e.g., trade). As a result, our conclusions regarding exports and imports in a specific SITC category (and the total) impact innovation in the U.S. is reported in the aggregate. General notions found in the literature are first shown and discussed. Second, the dynamics of innovation, trade and inward FDI stock in the U.S. are presented. Third, the main portion of the work, i.e. the econometric study, takes place, leading to several policy applications and conclusions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 103 (2) ◽  
pp. e1.50-e1
Author(s):  
Barker Catrin ◽  
Bartlett Donna ◽  
Brown Pauline ◽  
Bracken Louise ◽  
Bellis Jenny ◽  
...  

AimTo determine the impact of replacing a nurse with a ward-based pharmacy technician as the second checker, in the process of administering medicines to children in hospital by exploring the views and experiences of parents and staff involved in the change in practice.MethodHaving undertaken additional in-house training, a pharmacy technician replaced the second nurse on medication ward rounds (second checker) for 10 months over two wards. This took place on a neuro-medical ward and a medical specialty ward. The pharmacy technician undertook roles relating to medicines administration, including: attending day time medicine administration rounds; checking accuracy and appropriateness of prescriptions; preparing/administering prescribed medicines; independently undertaking dosage calculations; recording the administration of medicines. Using their specialist knowledge and skills, the role aimed to improve medicines optimisation for patients and their families during their inpatient stay.Research staff conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with parents of patients who were administered medicines during the study period (n=12) and with staff involved with the change in practice, as well as an interview with the pharmacy technician themselves after leaving each ward. Families were recruited from the two wards. Semi-structured interviews with staff (n=14) gathered data on the perspectives and experiences of the contribution of the ward-based pharmacy technician across two wards. An exploratory approach was taken using Thematic Analysis.1 Interviews were transcribed verbatim and anonymised. The research team familiarised themselves with transcripts by reading in full and generating initial codes using text from the data. Themes were generated and discussed between the team to produce an overall story of the analysis. Interviews were conducted over a 4 month period.ResultsParents discussed the importance of communication about their child’s medicines in hospital. Some parents were aware of the pharmacy technician’s role as second checker. Parents recognised the benefits of the technician’s background and expertise, and their contribution to the ward team.Fourteen staff interviews were conducted including the ward based pharmacy technician (after leaving each ward), the Chief Pharmacist, the Director of Nursing, a Ward Manager, Nursing and Pharmacy staff. Staff commented how the pharmacy technician provided a link between the Pharmacy and Nursing teams, alleviating nurses of administration duties and allowing them to spend more time with patients. The role was also seen as educational allowing for nurses to refresh their knowledge on medication storage procedures and alternative methods of administration.ConclusionTo the research team’s knowledge, this is the first study of its kind to assess the potential benefits of introducing a ward-based pharmacy technician as a second checker. This novel role extension releases nursing staff time to undertake more patient-centred nursing duties. In addition, the specialist knowledge of the pharmacy technician at the point of medicine administration had a positive impact on medicines optimisation for children in hospital, providing more effective administration of medicines and contributing to wider patient safety in paediatric settings. Although further evaluation is required, our findings indicate that parental and staff support the future development of this service.ReferenceBraun V, Clarke V. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology 2006;3(2):77–101.


Author(s):  
Rebecca Henderson ◽  
Melanie Gross Hagen ◽  
Zareen Zaidi ◽  
Valentina Dunder ◽  
Edlira Maska ◽  
...  

Purpose: We aimed to study the impact of a combined faculty-student book club on education and medical practice as a part of the informal curriculum at the University of Florida College of Medicine in the United States.Methods: Sixteen medical students and 7 faculties who participated in the book club were interviewed through phone and recorded. The interview was then transcribed and entered into the qualitative data analysis program QSR NVivo (QSR International, Burlington, MA, USA). The transcripts were reviewed, and thematic codes were developed inductively through collaborative iteration. Based on these preliminary codes, a coding dictionary was developed and applied to all interviews within QSR Nvivo to identify themes.Results: Four main themes were identified from interviews: The first theme, the importance of literature to the development and maintenance of empathy and perspective-taking, and the second theme, the importance of the book club in promoting mentorship, personal relationships and professional development, were important to both student and faculty participants. The third and fourth themes, the need for the book club as a tool for self-care and the book club serving as a reminder about the world outside of school were discussed by student book club members.Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that an informal book club has a significant positive impact on self-care, perspective-taking, empathy, and developing a “world outside of school” for medical school students and faculty in the United States. It also helps to foster meaningful relationships between students and faculty.


2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 207-230
Author(s):  
Kim Eun Yi

This study examines how the use of different types of social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, affects public participation, drawing on the theory of motivation, which addresses the effect of internal and external political efficacy as well as the perceived political importance of social media. The study also investigates the interaction effect between social media use and perceived the political importance of social media on public participation. Employing a comparative perspective on an issue that has not been well studied, the study further seeks to discover potential variations in the impacts of different social media on public participation in the United States and Korea, both of which held presidential elections at the end of 2012. This study conducted hierarchical multiple regression analyses using data collected from college students in the United States and Korea. It shows the positive impact of social media use and its interaction effect with the perceived political importance of social media on the offline and online public participation of youth. The political motivational factor is found to be critical to driving public participation. This study also shows that the impact of Facebook use is more influential than Twitter use on public participation in the United States, whereas the opposite pattern is observed in Korea.


2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 441-453
Author(s):  
Obed Pasha ◽  
Theodore H. Poister

Performance management is an established concept in the public sector, with several empirical studies supporting its beneficial impact on organizational performance. Research on performance management, however, is still in initial stages and mostly examines the impact of this practice under stable environmental conditions. This study adds to the literature by analyzing the effect of this system on performance of local transit agencies in a turbulent environment characterized by the Great Recession and its aftermath. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) on survey responses from 162 local transit agencies in the United States is used to extract the four components of performance management, namely, formal strategic planning, logical incrementalism, performance measurement, and performance information use. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis shows that an independent use of formal strategic planning and logical incrementalism has a negative impact on organizational performance under turbulence. Performance measurement and a blend of formal strategic planning and logical incrementalism, however, show a positive impact.


2017 ◽  
Vol 81 (6) ◽  
pp. 1-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kartik Kalaignanam ◽  
Tarun Kushwaha ◽  
Tracey A. Swartz

This article examines the impact of new product development (NPD) “make/buy” choices on product quality using data from the automobile industry. Although the business press has lamented that NPD outsourcing compromises product quality, there is no systematic evidence to support or refute this assertion. Against this backdrop, this study tests a contingency model of the impact of NPD make/buy decisions on immediate and future product quality. The hypotheses are tested using data on NPD make/buy choices of 173 models of 12 automobile firms in the United States between 2007 and 2014. The authors find that whereas NPD buy has a more positive impact on immediate product quality, NPD make has a more positive impact on future product quality. Furthermore, the immediate product quality impact of NPD buy is stronger when (1) technologies are more complex and (2) firm NPD capability is higher. In contrast, the future product quality impact of NPD make is stronger when (1) there is postlaunch adverse feedback and (2) firm NPD capability is higher. The study highlights the complex trade-offs associated with NPD make/buy decisions and offers valuable insights on how firms could manage these decisions.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tetiana Tokhtamysh ◽  
◽  
Oleksandr Yaholnytskyi ◽  
Kateryna Hranko ◽  
◽  
...  

The article looks over the degree of implementation of FinTech services in the world. It’s determined that the leading countries in the implementation of FinTech are China, India, and South Africa. Crucial influencing factor is demographic, rather than the widespread demand among the population for modern technology. The penetration rate of these services in the United States, where the largest technology companies in the world are located, was only 46%. The share of service users among the population that actively use digital technologies reaches 33%. Noted that the objects of investment of American banks are startups, programming applications of open interfaces and platforms for third-party developers. European banks also aim to invest actively in the development of FinTech but are still more focus on their own development. It is determined that Asian, Australian and African banks tend to develop technological solutions on their own. According to experts, the number of partnership agreements in the world with FinTech companies will increase each year. The analysis of the regional structure of global investments in FinTech carried out. It showed a positive dynamics of investment during 2014–2019. Increasing the size of global investments is due to the interest of investors in new projects and business models. Venture capital investment priorities coincide with global ones and are related to reviewing, updating, and improving business processes. The amount of venture capital invested in FinTech projects stimulates the development of the financial industry, mainly in China, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. They account for almost 9 times more investment in FinTech than in other countries. Correlation-regression analysis was applied to investigate the relationship between the level of development of the FinTech market and foreign direct investments. According to the results of calculations, the largest impact on foreign direct investment has the volume of venture investment in FinTech-projects and the FinTech market development rating. This proves the positive impact of FinTech companies on the growth of foreign investments in the country.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordana Dozet ◽  
◽  
Vojin Đukic ◽  
Zlatica Miladinov Mamlic ◽  
Nenad Đuric ◽  
...  

Three-year research, in the impact of microbial preparations and Gunatito on bean-root-nodule number and mass in organic production, was published. The highest nodule number and mass was in the year with a more favorable weather conditions, with a higher humidity. The lowest nodule number was in the method with a direct Tiffi application on the pre-sowing seed, whereas the lowest nodule mass was in the control variety. A positive insignificant correlation was determined between nodule number and mass, and yield. Nodulation was variety dependant. EM application 7 days before sowing, and the combination of Guanito before sowing with EM in flowering, showed a positive impact on nodule number and mass.


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