Search results

The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of using computers to obtain information on the farm household’s production and consumption based on a field survey of farm households in the northern China.

The most important methods applied are instrumental variable (IV) method and propensity score matching (PSM) method. Estimators of IV, PSM and nearest neighborhood matching approaches are considered together to check the robustness of empirical results.

This paper careful impact evaluation results suggest that the use of computer not only improves the size of arable land rented in but also reduces family labor input intensity and the probability of selling agricultural outputs at farm-gate markets. Moreover, it also stimulates transportation, garment, housing and insurance expenditures per capita.

The database of this research comprises cross-section data, which does not support a cross-time comparison.

These results imply that it is vital to expand the coverage of computer use in rural areas. This may suggest that the importance of improving computer access is crucial for stimulating rural consumption increase. Furthermore, the need for the expansion of internet network coverage in western areas is also of importance.

First, the authors directly estimate computer usage impacts on a broader range of production and consumption indicators by including land-relative investments, variable investments, labor input and household’s expenditure and provide rigorous impact evaluations on the impact of access to computer. Second, the authors use IV and PSM methods to correct self-selection bias, going beyond the single equation approach in other studies. This enables us to identify the causal relationship between computer usage and farmer’s production and consumption decisions.

Climatic changes caused by greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions are an urgent challenge for all regions around the globe while the livestock sector is an important source of GHGs emissions. The adoption of low-carbon manure treatment technology (LMTT) by farmers is emerging as an effective remedy to neutralize the carbon emissions of livestock. This paper aims to incorporate environmental literacy and social norms into the analysis framework, with the aim of exploring the impact of environmental literacy and social norms on farmers' adoption of LMTT and finally reduce GHGs emission and climate effects.

This research survey is conducted in Hebei, Henan and Hubei provinces of China. First, this research measures environmental literacy from environmental cognition, skill and responsibility and describes social norms from descriptive and imperative social norms. Second, this paper explores the influence of environmental literacy and social norms on the adoption of LMTT by farmers using the logit model. Third, Logit model's instrumental approach, i.e. IV-Logit, is applied to address the simultaneous biases between environmental skill and farmers’ LMTT adoption. Finally, the research used a moderating model to analyze feasible paths of environmental literacy and social norms that impact the adoption of LMTT by farmers.

The results showed that environmental literacy and social norms significantly and positively affect the adoption of LMTT by farmers. In particular, the effects of environmental literacy on the adoption of LMTT by farmers are mainly contributed by environmental skill and responsibility. The enhancement of social norms on the adoption of LMTT by farmers is mainly due to the leading role of imperative social norms. Meanwhile, if the endogeneity caused by the reverse effect between environmental skill and farmers’ LMTT adoption is dealt with, the role of environmental skill will be weakened. Additionally, LMTT technologies consist of energy and resource technologies. Compared to energy technology, social norms have a more substantial moderating effect on environmental literacy, affecting the adoption of farmer resource technology.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, a novel attempt is made to examine the effects of environmental literacy and social norms on the adoption of LMTT by farmers, with the objective of identifying more effective factors to increase the intensity of LMTT adoption by farmers.

This paper aims to derive the time-varying relative export competitiveness (REC) of the Nigerian cocoa sector against Nigeria’s share of world agricultural exports (REC_WA) and world merchandise exports (REC_WM) from 1995 to 2018. By concentrating on different factors such as demand and supply capacity, price factors and exchange rate, the authors examine the determinants of REC.

The authors calculated three different REC indexes. The authors also developed the relative symmetric export competitiveness index for comparative advantage calculation and avoiding the possible bias. The determinants of REC for Nigerian cocoa were captured using the short-run regression (SRR) model.

The study showed that Nigeria’s cocoa exports are still competitive despite experiencing some declining stages. Based on the SRR model, higher per capita income had a positive effect on the REC, while higher domestic prices significantly reduced the REC of cocoa. Further, the African Growth Opportunity Act agreement adversely affected the REC of cocoa.

This study provides a foundation for future research and enhances the literature on agricultural trade. This research makes a few contributions both from a scientific and a policy perspective. First, it is the first study on the REC analysis for the Nigerian cocoa industry. Second, a wide range of comparisons of REC among the world’s largest cocoa exporters was provided following implications of the various economic policies and local policy strategies. Third, the latest 24-year data sets were covered.

Economic reforms in rural China have led to the emergence of land and labor markets. The development of rural land rental markets can improve agricultural productivity and equity by facilitating transfers of land to more productive farmers and facilitating the participation in the non-farm economy of less productive farmers. In contrast to the burgeoning development of off-farm labor markets, the development of rural land rental market has lagged. The purpose of this study is to analyze the factors affecting households’ entry and transaction intensity in rural land rental markets, especially the effects of land tenure and off-farm employment.

Based on a field survey data of 479 household in Henan Province in 2009, the authors used Cragg’s double hurdle model to identify the determinants for households’ land rental participation and its transaction amount.

Off-farm employment is one of main driving factor for household’s land rent-out decision. Tenure insecurity reduces both the propensity and the magnitude of rental market transactions. Land use certificates significantly contribute to participation in land-rental markets and the rental amount.

This paper treats household land rental market participation as a related two-step process, focusing on both land transfer and its transaction amount. This paper also builds on a broad view, including analysis on both demand and supply side of land rental market.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the economic significance of informal borrowing between friends and relatives in rural China. Guided by an economic model of household‐production interactions, the paper provides results from a survey of over 1,500 households including general linear model and logistic regression results. The paper finds evidence of a “small farm bias” in the use of informal credit, but the paper cannot generalize this to credit rationing as a matter of course. In part, it is believed that a preference for informal borrowing is related to some forms of credit rationing, spillover effects and collateral as some literature suggests, but the results suggest that by no means are these mutually exclusive or exhaustive.

This paper uses regression techniques based on 1,557 farm household surveys gathered by the authors in Shaanxi, Gansu and Henan Provinces in 2007 and 2008.

The paper argues that informal lending amongst friends and relatives cannot be dismissed as a significant economic factor in the financing of China's agricultural sector. A small farm bias in formal lending is indicated by the results, but there are many factors other than credit rationing which affect a households' decision to borrow informally.

The research is limited to the survey data used. China's agricultural economy is too large to assert that the informal‐formal relationships described herein are general, even though the results are supported by other research.

The paper makes the case that the study of agricultural finance in China should include informal lending as part of any credit study. In addition, the paper argues that the use of the term “informal lending” should not generally group familial lending with other forms of interest‐bearing loans such as pawn shops or money lenders.

China's rural credit needs are huge and many farmers do not have access to formal credit. This paper argues that the strength of trust relationships between friends and family is sufficiently high that nearly 60 percent of all credit outstanding is between friends and relatives at zero interest rates.

This, it is believed, is one of the first comprehensive studies on informal lending in China.

Bilateral trade between Egypt and China has expanded substantially in recent years. Few studies however have focused on the understanding of this trade relationship. The purpose of this paper is to fill a void in the literature by examining and understanding the two countries' trade pattern.

In order to achieve the objectives of the paper, and in the light of the pool of literature and availability of data, the authors relied on qualitative methods to analyze the composition of trade between Egypt and China. In addition, the authors employed trade intensity index, intra‐industry trade index, and examined the trade complementarity to capture the dynamics and perspectives of bilateral trade between the two countries.

Results show low values in Egypt's trade intensity index, implying that Egyptian trade with China is less than it should be. The low values of the intra‐industry trade index suggest smaller trade between the two countries' firms in the same industry. The study clearly shows that there are few areas where there is an overlap in the two countries' comparative advantage. The trade complementarity analysis tends to suggest that the complementarity for China to export to Egypt is increasing, while that for Egypt to export to China is declining.

Given the lack of research that examines and compares trade between the two countries, the paper provides an in‐depth understanding of the patterns of trade between them and the driving forces behind such dynamics, which is pertinent to best capture the opportunities presented by the Chinese market. Also, the findings can be used to draw policy implications for promoting future trade and cooperation between Egypt and China.

At the center of apple production province in China, how to increase apple per unit yield and to improve apple production efficiency in Shaanxi become big issues. The objectives of this paper are to investigate the technical efficiency (TE) and cost efficiency (CE) of apple orchard and to analyse determinants which affect apple production efficiency. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

This paper conducts a two‐stage DEA to achieve the objectives. In the first‐stage, a cost minimization model is applied to measure apple production efficiency. Then, a Tobit model is provided to estimate regression coefficients which are used to adjust the efficiency scores in the first‐stage.

The results indicate that TE and CE are rather low in Shaanxi. The research also explores that the inefficient production of apple farmers is caused mainly by two aspects. One is the inefficient apple orchards operation of farmers. The other is the disadvantageous environmental conditions which heavily affect apple growth and fruit bearing situation.

Most of the research are based on national statistical data, and only measure the TE. This paper primarily focuses on the estimation of efficiency scores with the data involved in both quantity and price information of traditional inputs and outputs based on 255 apple farmers in Shaanxi. Specifically, This paper also consider farmer's opportunity cost to which little literature refers. The results not only reveal the efficient determinants of apple production, but also provide suggestions for agricultural policy makers.

This study aims to unveil the pivotal components and implementation pathways in the digital innovation of smart tourism destinations, while constructing a theoretical framework from a holistic perspective.

The research focuses on 31 significant urban smart tourism destinations in China. Secondary data was collected through manual search supplemented by big data scraping, whereas primary data was obtained from interviews with municipal tourism authorities. Grounded theory was used to theoretically construct the phenomenon of digital innovation in smart tourism destinations.

This research has formulated a data-driven knowledge framework for digital innovation in smart tourism destinations. Core components include digital organizational innovation, smart data platforms, multi-stakeholder digital collaborative ecosystem and smart tourism scenario systems. Destinations can achieve smart tourism scene innovation through closed innovation driven by smart data platforms or open innovation propelled by a multi-stakeholder digital collaborative ecosystem.

Based on insights from digital innovation practices, this study proposes a series of concrete recommendations aimed at assisting Destination Management Organizations in formulating and implementing more effective digital innovation strategies to enhance the sustainable digital competitiveness of destinations.

This study advances smart tourism destination innovation research from localized thinking to systemic thinking; extends digital innovation theory into the realm of smart tourism destination innovation; repositions the significance of knowledge in smart tourism destination innovation; and constructs a comprehensive framework for digital innovation in smart tourism destinations.

本研究致力于揭示智能旅游目的地数字创新中的核心组件及实施路径, 并创建一个整体视角下的理论框架。

研究选定中国31座重要城市型智能旅游目的地为研究对象。通过人工检索结合大数据抓取的方式收集二手资料, 以各市旅游主管部门为访谈对象收集一手资料。运用扎根理论对智能旅游目的地的数字创新现象进行理论构建。

本研究构建了一个数据型知识驱动的智能旅游目的地数字创新框架。其中, 核心组件包括数字组织创新、智慧数据平台、多主体数字协同生态和智慧旅游场景体系。目的地可通过智慧数据平台驱动的内生型创新或多主体数字协同生态推动的开放式创新, 实现智能旅游场景创新。

本研究将智能旅游目的地创新相关研究由局部思考推向系统思考; 将数字创新理论扩展到智能旅游目的地创新的研究中; 重新定位知识在智能旅游目的地创新中的重要地位; 以及构建了一个智能旅游目的地数字创新整体框架。

本研究基于数字创新实践洞察, 提出了一系列具体建议。旨在帮助目的地管理组织更有效地制定和实施数字创新策略, 以增强旅游目的地可持竞争力。

La investigación se centra en 31 destacados destinos turísticos urbanos inteligentes de China. Los datos secundarios se recopilaron mediante una búsqueda manual complementada con técnicas de big data, mientras que los datos primarios se obtuvieron a partir de entrevistas con las autoridades turísticas municipales. Se empleó la teoría fundamentada para construir teóricamente el fenómeno de la innovación digital en los destinos turísticos inteligentes.

Esta investigación tiene como objetivo identificar los componentes esenciales y las rutas de implementación de la innovación digital en destinos turísticos inteligentes, y construir un marco teórico desde una perspectiva holística.

Este estudio ha desarrollado un marco de conocimiento basado en datos para la innovación digital en destinos turísticos inteligentes. Los componentes centrales incluyen la innovación organizativa digital, la plataforma de datos inteligentes, el ecosistema digital colaborativo de múltiples actores y el sistema de escenarios turísticos inteligentes. Además, tanto la innovación endógena impulsada por la plataforma de datos inteligentes como la innovación abierta impulsada por el ecosistema digital colaborativo de múltiples actores contribuyen a la innovación por escenarios en destinos turísticos inteligentes.

A partir de las prácticas de innovación digital, este estudio ofrece una serie de recomendaciones dirigidas a las Organizaciones de Gestión de Destinos (DMOs) para la formulación e implementación de estrategias de innovación digital de manera más efectiva, y mejorar la competitividad digital sostenible de los destinos turísticos.

Este estudio avanza la investigación sobre innovación en destinos turísticos inteligentes desde el pensamiento localizado hasta el pensamiento sistémico; extiende la teoría de la innovación digital al ámbito de la innovación en destinos turísticos inteligentes; reposiciona la importancia del conocimiento en la innovación de destinos turísticos inteligentes; y construye un marco integral para la innovación digital en destinos turísticos inteligentes.