Showing papers by "International Food Policy Research Institute published in 1987"

Economic Development: The History of an Idea

Abstract: Economic development has been for many years the dominant national policy objective of the countries in the Third World, but there has been little consensus on the goals and definitions of development. Focusing on the era since World War II, H. W. Arndt traces the history of thought about economic development to show readers, in nontechnical terms, what the development objective has meant to political and economic theorists, policymakers, and politicians from Adam Smith to Ayatollah Khomeini.

Famine: causes, prevention, and relief.

Abstract: Famines are generally caused by decline in food production in successive years brought about by poor weather, war, or both. The consequent complex interactions between prices, employment, and assets impoverish victims and lead to sharply increased mortality. Government policy is a key determinant as to whether or not these conditions mature into wisespread famine. India and Bangladesh have succeeded in controlling famines in recent years, but problems in most of Africa remain intractable due to civil unrest and a paucity of resources, including trained people, institutions, and infrastructure. General economic development and political consensus is needed to reduce Africa9s vulnerability to famine. In this context, judiciously provided foreign aid can be of immense help.

Agriculture in the Uruguay Round: Interests of Developing Countries

Abstract: Agriculture has been favored and protected in developed countries while trade policies in developing countries frequently support industry at the expense of exportables and unprotected importables in agriculture. This protection constrains expansion of temperate and subtropical agricultural exports from developing countries. Several studies have estimated the effects of liberalization of trade restrictions on world prices, export earnings, and import costs. While developing countries generally would benefit from having the agricultural policies of the most powerful countries bound by international rules on trade, there are differences among the developing countries as to which products should be liberalized. Even if such conflicts did not exist, politically feasible means to obtain such compliance are elusive. The potentially most feasible approaches for developing countries to obtain some measure of liberalization in the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations are discussed.

The relationship between food production and consumption variability: policy implications for developing countries

Abstract: This paper examines whether there is increased inter-year instability in food consumption at the national level, and to what extent this is attributable to increased instability of food production in the wake of adoption of modern agricultural technology. The data analysed indicates that increased production instability does translate into increased fluctuations in consumption. Nevertheless, year-to-year consumption variability among the sample of 38 countries has declined during the past 25 years. This is attributed to improved stocking operations and trade practices which accompany economic growth. Nevertheless, food insecurity, as measured in terms of fluctuations around trend levels of consumption, does remain a problem, especially among the poor. Therefore, policy options to reduce consumption instability are outlined.

Population policy and individual choice

Abstract: The general equilibrium implications of endogenous fertility for several social issues of population policy are examined. Laissez faire is found to lead to Pareto optimality within generations even in the presence of public goods and Malthusian diminishing returns. On the other hand, bequests emerge as a major potential source of Pareto inefficiency when parents care about the number and welfare of their offspring. Also considered are questions of intergenerational justice and equity using an intergenerational social welfare function. It is shown that maximizing the sum of utilities always leads to a larger population than maximizing per capita utility, but that the laissez-faire solution may lie outside the interval bounded by the two criteria.

Rice Production and Regional Crop Diversification in the Philippines: Economic Issues

Abstract: The paper discusses Philippine rice production on the basis of some economic issues. Its main points are that 1) the current low world market price of rice adversely affects the economic viability of Philippine rice production, 2) Economic efficiency should be the overriding norm in attempts to alleviate the plight of the poor and disadvantaged groups, 3) Agricultural diversification can be tapped to help improve the economic well-being of poor rice farmers, 4) Given natural resource endowments, technology and trade, the determinant of agricultural diversification should be comparative advantage or economic efficiency.

Nutrition and Economic Adjustment

Abstract: The article by Reutlinger beginning on page 50 reviews the evolution of the World Bank’s experience with policies to eliminate poverty through development and its current view of the effect of adjustment policies on the welfare of the poor. There were originally expectations that the benefits of development would trickle down to the poor and more recently that development policies could be designed to benefit the poor more directly. The assertion is made that the effects of structural adjustment operations that result in food price increases can be offset by other measures supported by the Bank that will mitigate the consequences and help the poor to weather structural adjustments. As other articles in this special issue indicate, however, the problem is that the adjustment policies result in higher prices for food and lower real wages, while formidable administrative obstacles usually block the implementation of measures to moderate their effects on the poor. The examples cited by Reutlinger do not provide convincing evidence to the contrary, although they indicate a significant effort. The statements by the Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMP) on page 87 suggest that the IMP would be responsive to innovative proposals to effect economic adjustment policies without worsening poverty or malnutrition. Nevertheless, discussion at the March 1987 meeting of the ACC Sub-committee on Nutrition revealed that no such country proposals have yet been made. Letters to the editor or articles are invited that can document the actual nutritional and health consequences, either positive or negative, of economic adjustment policies supported by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. N.S. Macroeconomic adjustment policies and income distribution: the macroeconomic relationships

Food Security: A Stabilisation Problem for Developing Countries

Abstract: Food security has become a central explicit policy goal for most LDCs within the last decade. It is an important politically sensitive issue for governments. This growing concern about food insecurity can be attributed to the combination of several interrelated factors, which include an explicit commitment by governments to stabilise domestic prices and consumption of food, rapid urbanisation and related changes in food consumption patterns, the increased dependence of LDCs on imported cereals, and the increasing volatility of export prices of cereals.