Civil conflict has devastating effects on the livelihoods of millions of people and is a major obstacle to economic growth and poverty reduction. According to the World Bank (2011), “poverty reduction in countries affected by major violence is on average nearly a percentage point slower per year than in countries not affected by violence.” No […]
Exploring the Environmental Regulation of Agriculture: Accounting for Weather
A previous article opened a discussion on the general challenges with regulating agriculture; this article continues that discussion along with the focus on water quality issues and nutrient losses. Both the farmer and the regulator stand in a similar position: the farmer prefers not to lose nutrients from the fields where they are intended to […]
Little Evidence that the National Food Authority can Influence the Price of Rice in the Philippines
Rice is the staple food in the Philippines. It accounts for 1/3 of the total food consumption (in terms of domestic utilization in metric tons) and is grown on about 4 million hectares of the total 13 million hectares of arable land (Glipo, Vibal and Cainglet, 2002). The Philippine government has made numerous attempts to […]
The Taxation of Agricultural Land in the United States
Concern about loss of prime farmland has long been a major public policy concern. Many of the policies enacted in efforts to slow conversion along the urban fringe originated shortly after World War II as rapidly transforming cities expanded resulting in farmland being converted to residential, commercial, and industrial uses. One of the policy instruments […]
Crushing on Cash
Cash is the new international development darling — lauded by researchers and practitioners as the new standard for foreign aid. Delivering cash to individuals rather than aid in-kind (such as cows, building materials, training), has gained increasing prominence in the past 15 years. It shows promise as a means to increase the efficiency and effectiveness […]
Mortgage Consumer Protection in Action
Since the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (Dodd-Frank Act) authorized the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to regulate lending practices in the credit market, the CFPB has addressed the mortgage market with several amendments to existing mortgage regulations under the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and the Homeowner Equity Protection Act (HOEPA). The TILA and […]
Part 3: TTIP Negotiations on Foreign Investment Rules
In this third post, we consider the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) rules about foreign direct investment (FDI). In 2013 the governments of all European Union member states presented guidelines to the European Commission to include provisions for investment protection in the TTIP negotiations. These rules have been heatedly debated in the EU’s […]
Mandatory Nutrition Labels on Restaurant Menus: Coming Soon?
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), which was passed in 2010, contains a clause that requires a standardized menu labeling system in chain restaurants and vending machines across the country. This clause is likely a result of the combined increases in eating away from home and U.S. obesity/overweight rates. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has […]
Evaluating Use of Conservation Policies for Pollinators
One of the suspected culprits in pollinator decline is the loss of the amount and diversity of forage habitat. This decline not only affects managed honey bees, but includes other pollinators, such as butterflies and moths. Wild bumblebees, for example, are crucial for pollinating some plants and who not only face declines in habitat but […]
The Link between Farm Policy and Farmland Values
One of the principal objectives of farm policy is to provide a financial safety net for America’s farmers. Since the depression era of the early 1930s, the Federal government has provided an ever-changing suite of policy tools designed to bolster farm incomes, limit financial volatility, and ensure the livelihood of America’s farm sector. The programs […]