Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Lucyna BŁAŻEJCZYK-MAJKA Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Economic History, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poznań, Poland Author-Name: Radosław KALA Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Mathematical and Statistical Methods, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poznań, Poland Title: On the combined estimation of technical efficiency and its application to agriculture Abstract: Assessment of efficiency of businesses has been considered an object of interest by economists since the 1950's. A number of methods have been developed, including the so-called parametric approaches, using the regression analysis, and the non-parametric approaches, connected with the mathematical programming techniques. However, the diversity of available methods, especially when supplying contradictory estimates, leads to confusion, hindering an objective interpretation of results. In this paper, we propose a procedure leading to the reduction of such discrepancies by the proper modification of a combined method linking the non-parametric approach with a parametric one. Usefulness of the proposed solution is shown by estimation of technical efficiency concerning the agricultural production in the USA and the selected regions of the European Union. Keywords: data envelopment analysis, elasticity, frontier production function, regression Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 441-449 Volume: 61 Issue: 10 Year: 2015 DOI: 10.17221/72/2014-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/72/2014-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-201510-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:61:y:2015:i:10:id:72-2014-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Josef ABRHÁM Author-Workplace-Name: University of Economics, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Wadim STRIELKOWSKI Author-Workplace-Name: Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Milan VOŠTA Author-Workplace-Name: University of Economics, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Jan ŠLAJS Author-Workplace-Name: University of Economics, Prague, Czech Republic Title: Factors that influence the competitiveness of Czech rural SMEs Abstract: The paper focuses on determining the key factors that influence the competitiveness of rural small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Czech Republic. Rural SMEs play an important part in sustainable rural development, post-transformation processes, as well as in the integrated development of formal and informal rural institutions in the Czech economy. The research design is based on a questionnaire survey conducted with a sample of 1144 randomly selected Czech rural SMEs. There was applied a one-way error model expressed either by the fixed effects (FE) model and the random effect (RE) model with the error term consisting of two components: a time-invariant component and a remainder component that is assumed to be uncorrelated over time. It was also attempted to rule out the individual location effects in the econometric model by using the location variables (location dummies).The results also show that the success of the rural SMEs in the Czech Republic is mostly related to its manager and enterprise characteristics. The most significant determinants of rural enterprise's competitiveness are location within a region with competitive situation, the enterprise size, the enterprise age, and the fact whether the enterprise has some form of innovation. The results might have significant implications for both academics and stakeholders and can be used as a basis for the targeted rural enterprise policies in the Czech Republic and in the post-transitional Eastern and Central Europe. Keywords: rural development, SMEs, Czech Republic, Central and Eastern Europe Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 450-460 Volume: 61 Issue: 10 Year: 2015 DOI: 10.17221/63/2015-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/63/2015-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-201510-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:61:y:2015:i:10:id:63-2015-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Difei ZHAO Author-Workplace-Name: School of Economics and Management, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China Author-Name: Zhenyuan LIU Author-Workplace-Name: School of Economics and Management, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China Title: Analysis of the agriculture trade openness impact on the rural household's food consumption in China Abstract: Granted that the traditional measure methods in calculating trade openness always trigger results of singleness and twisted outcomes, the aim of the paper is to recalculate the Chinese produce trade openness after 1978, using new measure methods consisting of the trade reliance and shares. After calculation and contrasting, obvious differences have been found between the new and traditional methods. The results of the traditional measure methods turn out to be severely underestimated, whereas the new ones are more specific to reveal the extent of the Chinese produce trade openness, along with demonstrating the function of the Chinese produce in world trade market. Based on the results, utilizing the panel data, the LA/AIDS model and price elasticity, the paper analyses the changes that rural food prices were influenced by the agricultural produce trade openness, and the changes of rural food expenditure and consumption. Keywords: food trade, price elasticity, rural food price Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 461-474 Volume: 61 Issue: 10 Year: 2015 DOI: 10.17221/188/2014-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/188/2014-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-201510-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:61:y:2015:i:10:id:188-2014-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Hyunsoo KANG Author-Workplace-Name: Division of International Trade, Wonkwang University, Jeonbuk, Republic of Korea Title: A study on the relationship between international trade and food security: Evidence from less developed countries (LDCs) Abstract: Hunger and poverty are main critical issues in less developed countries (LDCs) and can be attributed to the fact that almost 70% of the LDC populations are employed in the agricultural sector. Although the international trade can reduce food insecurity in LDCs, for example, facilitating the access to larger markets, the volatility in food prices since the late 2000s has negatively affected the food availability. This study examines the effects of trade on the food security and traces a U-shaped relationship between two variables, using 2000-2010 panel data for the LDCs. The results are robust across different methods and show that the food security decreases in the initial stages of the trade expansion but increases beyond a given threshold. The key finding of this study is the U-shaped relationship between trade and food security, which suggests that the policy makers should pay more attention to expanding investments in the agricultural productivity, particularly from the viewpoints of the self-sufficiency and self-reliance. Keywords: food security, international trade, less developed countries (LDCs), U-shaped relationship Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 475-483 Volume: 61 Issue: 10 Year: 2015 DOI: 10.17221/246/2014-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/246/2014-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-201510-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:61:y:2015:i:10:id:246-2014-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Azucena GRACIA Author-Workplace-Name: Unidad de Economía Agroalimentaria. Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón (CITA), Gobierno de Aragón, Zaragoza, España Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón - IA2 (CITA-Universidad de Zaragoza), Zaragoza, España Author-Name: Tiziana DE-MAGISTRIS Author-Workplace-Name: Unidad de Economía Agroalimentaria. Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón (CITA), Gobierno de Aragón, Zaragoza, España Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón - IA2 (CITA-Universidad de Zaragoza), Zaragoza, España Title: The role of participants' competitiveness in consumers' valuation for food products using experimental auctions Abstract: The aim of the paper is to assess the effect of the participants' competitiveness on their valuation for food products. Specifically, to investigate the effect of the participants' competitiveness on their bids in a non-hypothetical experimental auction. Then, we designed an experimental auction to measure the consumers' preferences for food products with two treatments. Both treatments had all the same designed characteristics except that in the second treatment, the participants who reported the highest levels of competitiveness were not allowed to participate in the auction. Then, we could directly compare bids from the participants with two different levels of competitiveness (higher competitiveness and lower competitiveness). Because the bids from the two treatments were found statistically the same, we can conclude that the consumer's valuation for food products using the non-hypothetical experimental auctions are independent on the level of the participants' competitiveness. Keywords: bids, lamb meat, Spain Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 484-491 Volume: 61 Issue: 10 Year: 2015 DOI: 10.17221/247/2014-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/247/2014-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-201510-0005.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:61:y:2015:i:10:id:247-2014-AGRICECON