Income Diversification by agro- Pastoralists in Cholistan Desert Punjab, Pakistan

The pastoralists are economically depend upon livestock for their income which include their herds of livestock and the bi products produced and sold. The nomads keep moving in search of food and forage so they do not completely destroy the natural resource of a particular area. During their journey of searching water sometimes make them closer to the agriculture land near towns where they used to earn through off farm activities which include the income earned through their unskilled labour activities. The multinomial probit regression employed in this study for analysis revealed that many pastoralists adopt the income diversification strategies which are the coping strategies for other than livestock income to reduce the risks attached with livestock income. The role of Govt. and NGOs for improvement in infrastructure is envisaged to find the enhancement of livestock sector in the area is explored in this study. The study is unique in providing perspective on providing access to different facilities and the role of government in improving living of population.

Strategic entrepreneurial choice between competing crowdfunding platforms

This paper investigates strategic entrepreneurial choice between the UK Big 3 platforms–Crowdcube, Seedrs and SyndicateRoom–that exemplify the three main equity crowdfunding (ECF) shareholder structures identified in the literature. ECF has become a strategic choice for both entrepreneurs and angel and venture capital funds as it offers mutually beneficial advantages to both, especially under the co-investment ECF model where these funds co-invest alongside the crowd. The multinomial probit results show that large founder teams are more likely to choose the co-investment model (SyndicateRoom) but are less likely to opt for the nominee ownership structure (Seedrs). Although less heterogeneous teams are more likely to choose the Seedrs and Crowdcube ownership structures, our results suggest that the probability of choosing the co-investment model (SyndicateRoom) monotonically increases as teams become more heterogeneous. The conclusion is that larger and heterogeneous teams are more likely to raise ECF funds from campaigns explicitly involving professional investors.

Cooking fuel choices of households in urban areas in Uganda: a multinomial probit regression analysis

PurposeThis study explores the economic and sociodemographic factors that influence households' decisions on the type of fuel used for cooking in urban areas in Uganda.Design/methodology/approachIn total, two cross-section data surveyed by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) in 2012/13 and 2016/17 were used to analyze consumption of energy for cooking purposes in urban areas of Uganda. This paper employed a multinomial probit regression model and the corresponding marginal effects to analyze cooking fuel choices, which are biomass, electricity and gas and kerosene combined.FindingsThe results showed that household expenditure was statistically significant for the choice of cooking fuel chosen. Furthermore, kitchen type, dwelling type and apartment tenure type are found to be significantly influence the choice of household cooking fuel decisions.Originality/valueThis study takes into consideration the combined influence of the kitchen type, dwelling and tenure type as explanatory variables for the choice of cooking fuel for households in urban areas in Uganda. These factors have not been considered in previous studies done in Uganda, especially within the context of urban households when making choices for cooking fuel.

US Consumers’ Online Shopping Behaviors and Intentions During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

A study of 1,558 US households in June 2020 evaluated utilization of online grocery shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic, influences on utilization, and plans for future online grocery shopping. Nearly 55 percent of respondents shopped online in June 2020; 20 percent were first-timers. Cragg model estimates showed influences on online shopping likelihood and frequency included demographics, employment, and prior online shopping. Illness concerns increased likelihood, while food shortage concerns increased frequency of online shopping. A multinomial probit suggested 58 percent respondents planned to continue online grocery shopping regardless of pandemic conditions.

Information flow to increase support for tidal energy development in remote islands of a developing country: agent-based simulation of information flow in Flores Timur Regency, Indonesia

Background Public awareness is crucial for successful deployment of tidal energy, a renewable energy source that can provide clean electricity to remote islands. However, considering public attitudes on tidal energy are not well known, especially in developing countries, a barrier exists in implementing public engagement strategies. This study aims to contribute by identifying strategies for information provision—the initial step in public engagement—and estimate how these can be engaged to enhance support for tidal energy among the local public in a remote area of a developing country, in this case, Flores Timur Regency, Indonesia, considering their socio-cultural background. Methods In this paper, we employ statistical analyses using multinomial probit modelling to identify the key variables that shape information flow. The aptness of the variables is then verified using post-estimation techniques for their use as input parameters for the simulation of the information flow in the field study area. Agent-based simulation (ABS) is employed to replicate the actual conditions in Flores Timur Regency, Indonesia, and simulate the flow of information through the local community. Results According to the multinomial probit estimations, the people belonging to the top hierarchical group show a higher probability to support tidal energy compared to the members belonging to the lower groups. Understandably, around twice as many information flow cycles are needed to disseminate information to the members of the lowest hierarchical group, compared to the members of the top hierarchical group. The results also show that increasing the amount of available information has a positive impact on information dissemination. Conclusions This study demonstrated that information provision is highly effective with propagation of information that specifically highlights the individual benefits, rather than the community benefits of tidal energy. Additionally, savings in terms of costs, time, and efforts can be realized if the most influential members of the local community are targeted initially before including all other stakeholders. The study also indicated that locals absorb more information and increase their support for tidal energy when additional data is made available. Finally, as long-term strategy, information provision becomes most effective when the local population gains higher educational capabilities.

Champions during Crises Scenarios: High Growth and Persistent High Growth Firms

Our paper aims to participate to the growing policy discussion on high-growth firms (HGFs) by analyzing persistence of high growth patterns over crisis. During downturn periods, such as post pandemic one, policy makers seek sources to maintain competitiveness and accelerate growth. Being dynamic players in economic growth and job creation, persistent high-growth firms are notable candidates for assuming that role under such circumstances. Therefore, in this study we explore the determinants and characteristics of HGFs and persistent high-growth firms (PHGF) in a crisis scenario.We use a sample of 190,247 firms from 2007 to 2014. We estimate a multinomial probit model with independent idiosyncratic components across the different categories (i.e. HGFs, PHGFs and other firms) using full maximum likelihood. In a second phase we explore which characteristics of HGFs affect the probability of being a PHGFs.HGFs are characterized by higher productivity and leverage, and PHGFs systematically differ from other HGFs only in what regards degree of international involvement. HGFs probability of maintaining high growth rates is very low.HGFs are essentially one-hit wonders and it is debatable whether policymakers can enhance economic results by targeting them. Policy makers should be directed towards those firms which have in principal the potential to be winners, but only through policy intervention these aided firms can realize their great potential (i.e. pick and build winner).

Information Flow to Increase Support for Tidal Energy Development in Remote Islands of a Developing Country: Agent-Based Simulation of Information Flow in Flores Timur Regency, Indonesia

BackgroundPublic awareness is crucial for successful deployment of tidal energy, a renewable energy source that can provide clean electricity to remote islands. However, considering public attitudes on tidal energy are not well known, especially in developing countries, a barrier exists in implementing public engagement strategies. This study aims to contribute by identifying strategies for information provision – the initial step in public engagement – and estimate how these can be engaged to enhance support for tidal energy among the local public in a remote area of a developing country, in this case, Flores Timur Regency, Indonesia, considering their socio-cultural background.MethodsIn this paper we employ statistical analyses using Multinomial Probit modelling to identify the key variables that shape information flow. The aptness of the variables is then verified using post-estimation techniques for their use as input parameters for simulation of the information-flow in the field study area. Agent-Based Simulation (ABS) is employed to replicate the actual conditions in Flores Timur regency, Indonesia and simulate the flow of information through the local community.ResultsAccording to the Multinomial Probit estimations, the people belonging to the top hierarchical group show a higher probability to support tidal energy compared to the members belonging to the lower groups. Understandably, it takes around twice as many information flow cycles to disseminate information to the members of the lowest hierarchical group, compared to the members of the top hierarchical group. Results also show that increasing the amount of available information has a positive impact on information dissemination.ConclusionsThis study found that information provision is highly effective with propagation of information that specifically highlights the individual benefits, rather than the community benefits of tidal energy. Additionally, savings in terms of cost, time, and effort can be realized if the most influential members of the local community are targeted initially before including all other stakeholders. The study also found that locals absorb more information and increase their support for tidal energy when additional data is made available. Finally, albeit long-term strategy, information provision becomes most effective when the local population gains higher educational capabilities.

Socioeconomics Determinants to Adopt Agricultural Machinery for Sustainable Organic Farming in Pakistan: A Multinomial Probit Model

Urbanization and low productivity are real threats to the sustainability of organic farming. The adoption of farm machinery plays a vital role in overcoming these threats to ensure a sustainable and more profitable organic farming model. Farm machinery can also increase farmland yield and reduce the need for labor, although the requirement of significant capital investment often prevents small farmers from buying machinery. There is an increased need to comprehend all relevant elements associated with farming machinery procurement and service delivery. In this article, we provide insight into the impact of different variables of farmers on the adoption of agricultural equipment. A total of 301 organic farmers were surveyed in three districts of Punjab, Pakistan. It was found that the most common machinery concerned herein are tube-well/pumps, tractors, tillage machinery, and thrashers/harvesters. Results from a multinomial probit estimation showed that farm machinery ownership is positively correlated with capital assets, civil infrastructure, alternative sources of power, and credit facility. The findings indicated that policymakers and stakeholders should not concentrate merely on short term planning, such as improving agricultural machinery’s adoption rate. Still, they should also strive to upgrade physical infrastructure and facilities and provide credit services to create an enabling environment that can empower the citizen in adopting large scale use of agricultural machinery for long term sustainability of organic farming.