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The 1990s saw a gain in rural food-processing employment, particularly meat packing and poultry processing, as the industry's demand for low-skilled workers increased. Analysis links the change in worker skills to international trade. While increased rural employment may seem beneficial, the jobs often do not appeal to rural domestic workers, and increased numbers of immigrant workers can strain community services and schools. (SV)

Explores the problems of portraying oil-price shocks using the aggregate demand/aggregate supply model. Presents a simple modification of the model that differentiates between production and absorption of goods, which enables it to better reflect the effects of oil-price shocks on open economies. (RLH)

Models imports as a fixed proportion of spending rather than as a function of total or disposable income. Predicts the initial autonomous change in domestic spending by netting out spending shifts. Presents formulation which provides a clearer understanding of how leakages influence the multiplier process. (RLH)

U.S. jobs supported by exports are more concentrated in medium- and high-skill occupations than jobs displaced by imports, about half of which are low-skill. Exports are also linked to increasing skill requirements for workers in rural manufacturing businesses. However, long-term job creation trends show that domestic demand generates most high-skill jobs. (Author/TD)

Provides a classroom exercise using the restrictive tariffs on sugar to examine issues of protectionism and international trade. Discusses related issues such as the North American Free Trade Agreement and the formation of large regional trading blocks. Includes a hands-on calculation of the economic impact of the quota on consumers. (MJP)

Suggests which perceptions and realities of the complex economic relationship between the United States and Japan are most important. Questions the use of opinion surveys to understand perceptions of U.S. and Japanese citizens about the economic relationship. Discusses characteristics of each nation's economy that inhibit successful economic relations. (DK)

Presents a geography program to show students why the European Community was formed. Involves student research of economic data, creation of a computer database on the European Community, and simulation of trading. Emphasizes geographic themes of movement, region formation, and change in response to economic forces. Includes game rules, sample database, and economic comparisons. (DK)

Describes problems encountered during early attempts at library automation in China, including the slow development of telecommunications systems and the high cost of international online retrieval. The successful use of imported databases on CD-ROM to overcome these problems is discussed, focusing on applications in library technical services and information retrieval. (Six references) (CLB)

A review of literature indicated that, with regard to brand labels, consumers' perception of price, but not of quality, was affected. Consumers expected to pay more for goods bought in a higher status store and rated imported goods as being more expensive than domestically produced goods. Products from developing countries received lower quality ratings than those from developed countries. (JOW)

Describes a learning exercise to combine the goal of global understanding and appreciation with global knowledge. Suggests that students (1) take a systematic inventory of their personal possessions, (2) record the origin of each on a world map, and (3) analyze and discuss their findings. Reports results of student surveys listing origins and percentages of imports. (DK)

Summarizes the positive and negative sides of American industrial practices determined by the Commission on Industrial Productivity at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Describes five imperatives recommended by the commission based on its study of current weakness and best practices in American industry. (YP)

Provides a microeconomic analysis of United States (U.S.) television program export prices. Finds that U.S. producers, acting like a dominant firm, are responsible for establishing the general level of foreign program prices in each national market. (MS)

Summarizes the development of science and technology in Pakistan and the existing library resources in science and technology. The organization of acquisitions work is described, including acquisitions policy, book selection, financial support, procurement of books and periodicals, import restrictions, book order work, and gifts and exchanges. Proposals for further action are presented. (12 references) (Author/CLB)

A high level of imports indicates robust domestic demand and a growing economy, and trade facilitation as one of the important trade methods that insure efficiency of trade movement between the borders. 11 trade facilitation indicators were used from 40 selected developing countries from different regions over a period from 2015 to 2019, GMM was used to examine how trade facilitation impacts the economy and imports of a country. In our study, 10 trade facilitation indicators recorded a positive impact on imports. The findings of this study indicate that it would be progressive for developing nations to adopt a well-functioning trade facilitation measures and must work on reviewing their law and policies to adopt the new knowledge of facilitating things in line with current best practices and conduct a reformation of existing policies and national development strategies for trade to further their economic enhancement agenda, which can shorten clearance time and increase the import volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the expansion of U.S. empire in the decade before the American Civil War to search for cheap access to guano fertilizers across the Pacific Ocean. It argues that the practices of southern cash crop cultivation that relied on soil mining contributed to the growth of domestic demand for imported guano fertilizers. It focuses on a region called the Chesapeake South as the primary leading force behind the expansionary policy of the U.S.

Peirce’s True Gorgias is a brief dialogue from his essay “Grounds of Validity of the Laws of Logic”, published in 1869. The True Gorgias exposes the fallacy of existential import. It has received no sustained attention in the secondary literature, perhaps because the fallacy is now familiar. Peirce’s assessment of the fallacy involved in the reasoning, however, changes between 1865 and 1869, and he only arrives at the contemporary account of existential import in 1880. Moreover, a careful examination of the context in which the True Gorgias appears reveals it provides an argument in support of Peirce’s early Aristotelian realism about universals in contradistinction to non-Aristotelian varieties of realism advocated by W.T. Harris, editor of the journal in which the True Gorgias was published. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global pet trade is a thriving multibillion-dollar industry, involving the international exchange of various species and regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). South Africa plays a significant role as both an importer and exporter within this market. By analysing over 13 million records from the CITES database, spanning from 1975 to 2023, we aimed to access South Africa's role in the international pet trade and to analyse trade volume and trends over time. Our findings indicate that alien species dominate exports, particularly birds and mammals, while native species are traded in lower volume, involving only a few species. The top 10 traded species for birds and mammals belong to the genera Agapornis and Callithrix, while 80% of reptile exports were native, with Stigmochelys pardalis being the most exported species. Bird and mammal exports are primarily composed of captive-bred individuals, whereas both captive-bred and wild-sourced individuals contribute to reptile exports. Approximately 100 countries import various species from South Africa, with Asia and Europe as major importers of birds. The extensive exportation of South Africa's native species, particularly reptiles, raises significant conservation concerns regarding the potential impact on local biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to investigate how selected regional trade agreements (RTAs) affect trade efficiency in East Asia, which is measured by the ratio of actual exports to their maximum potential export value. To achieve this, we use a stochastic frontier gravity model and bilateral trade data of 16 countries from 1990 to 2018. Our results indicate that RTAs generally improve trade efficiency between member countries. Moreover, we distinguish between intra-bloc and extra-bloc trade, and found that export diversion due to RTAs is rare in East Asia. On the other hand, our result shows that the imports of ASEAN countries tend to divert away from non-members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defining what "industrial policy" is, and correspondingly defining and differentiating "industrial strategy" from this legacy term, is of analytic consequence to understanding what these concepts mean in the current public and business policy debates taking place in the world's developed and developing economies. Of import to these debates, however, is accurately understanding the role of industrial strategy and its symbiotic relevance to industrial policy. In this paper, the author develops a typology allowing the analyst to utilize five key components—governance approach, public research and development investment, public incentives, public disincentives, and industry/sectoral participation—to evaluate the proposed national approach (vertical or horizontal) to industrial strategy. To illustrate this industrial strategy typology, the author uses examples from the People's Republic of China (vertical) and the USA (horizontal). Recent legislation has moved the USA to a balanced approach of vertical and horizontal industrial strategies (incorporating both central planning and market-based approaches). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most important problems in economic development is the supply of stable amounts of renewable energy sources, including biomass. The production of biomass in Poland is not satisfactory; thus, this country has to import this product. As with other products, the trade of stable biomass includes both imports and exports and depends on the price and other characteristics of the market. This research aimed to assess the biomass trade in terms of energy and evaluate changes and trends in the import and export of biomass in Poland and its characteristics. Moreover, the export specialization index (SI index), Grubel–Lloyd index (IITk index) and foreign trade coverage index (CRK index) were evaluated. The considerations were based on the biomass trade in the context of environmental economics. This research found that the neighboring countries of Poland are the most important partners in both imports and exports. Germany and Lithuania are the most important countries in the trade of woody biomass. The export specialization index (SI index), in 2005–2008, was positive and growing, which means that exports exceeded imports; then, in 2009, there was a decline; from 2010 to 2013, the balance increased again, reaching significant positive values until 2019; and, in 2020, there was a decline. The Grubel–Lloyd index for the Polish wood and forestry industry showed a dynamic evolution in the analyzed period of 2005–2020, which reflects the industry's adaptive strategies in the face of global changes. Raw wood and veneer sheets are more volatile, which may indicate periodic shifts in the structure of foreign trade and the flexibility of producers to respond to international trends and demands. The CRK index in the years 2005–2020 presents an astonishing picture of changes in competitiveness and the ability to maintain the balance of imports and exports. The significant increase in the ratio of firewood and raw wood may reflect an increase in interest in renewable energy sources and the expansion of the industry into new markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The question of why some regions reject energy cooperation initiatives that aim to improve their overall security of supply puzzles scholars and policymakers advocating for deeper regional integration through energy trade. This was the case in Northeast Asia, where efforts to create a joint oil import mechanism to improve China, South Korea and Japan's collective bargaining power against Middle East suppliers repeatedly failed and turned instead into competing bilateral contracts at higher prices for all three countries. This article offers two explanations for this puzzle. First, the unique technical challenges and costly logistics of establishing reliable oil and gas supply routes make bilateral agreements more credible than multilateral guarantees in regions characterised by geographical remoteness and high differential vulnerability to disruptions among its members. Second, the tendency of policymakers to securitise their country's energy supply pushes them to overemphasise their relative vulnerabilities and fear any loss of autonomy over their supplies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study contributes to the ongoing discussion surrounding the recent surge in inflation. It presents an analytical framework and empirically examines inflation trends in Italy. The primary aim is to identify the underlying causes, distributive repercussions, and mechanisms through which inflation is propagated. We adopt a cost-push and distributive conflict perspective on current inflation. Within this perspective, some contributions argue for profit-driven inflation, while others dispute this interpretation, emphasizing that increases in the profit share, amid rising import costs do not necessarily imply heightened overall profitability. To clarify these issues, the paper puts forth an analytical framework that shows how escalating import costs can affect profit shares and set in motion a period of inflation propagation, even in the absence of a wage-price spiral. Turning attention to the Italian context, the study utilizes descriptive statistics, sectoral data, and simple simulations to gain insights into the drivers of inflation and its distributive consequences. Additionally, a local projections analysis is deployed to uncover the nature and timing of the propagation process. The paper concludes with some policy implications based on the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the economic effects of a potential cut‐off of the German economy from Russian energy imports. We use a multi‐sector open‐economy model and a simplified approach based on an aggregate production function to estimate the effects of a shock to energy inputs. We show that the effects are likely to be substantial but manageable because of substitution of energy imports and reallocation along the production chain. In the short run, a stop of Russian energy imports would lead to an output loss relative to the baseline situation, without the energy cut‐off, in the range 0.5% to 3% of GDP. This paper is part of the Economica 100 Series. Economica, the LSE "house journal" is now 100 years old. To commemorate this achievement, we are publishing 100 papers by former students, as well as current and former faculty. Benjamin Moll is the Sir John Hicks Professor of Economics at the LSE. David Baqaee was an Asst. Prof. of Economics at the LSE. Moritz Schularick obtained his MSc from the LSE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I estimate the effect of foreign weather shocks on firm-level exports, exploiting the French firm-level customs data from 1995 to 2009. I find support for a small, negative impact of foreign temperatures on average but estimate a robust and strong differential effect across exporters, leading to composition changes. Larger firms are more negatively harmed by foreign weather shocks than small exporters. Regarding mechanisms, demand-side mechanisms (such as import demand changes) are mainly at play, whereas I find no evidence for supply-side (competition) mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]