Scale, technique and composition effects in the Mexican agricultural sector: the influence of NAFTA and the institutional environment

More than a decade after NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) entered into force, the environmental effects of agricultural trade liberalization in Mexico are still controversial, emerging, and not fully understood. This paper contributes to the literature that aims to explore trends in input use in the agricultural sector in Mexico during the post-NAFTA period among both commercial/industrial and traditional/rainfed farmers, and examines the influence of the national and multilateral institutional framework on these outcomes. We decompose the post-NAFTA agricultural production data into scale, technique and composition effects to estimate the impact that trade liberalization has had on the use of fertilizer and land use, two key agricultural inputs for which reliable aggregate data is available. We conclude that among commercial farmers patterns of crop type specialization and significant technological improvements have led to some declines in fertilizer use but they have been offset by growth in fertilizer use associated with growing agricultural output. Among traditional farmers increased output and specialization in land-intensive grain crops are contributing to an increase in land under cultivation and technological improvements show the potential, but not yet not the strength, to counteract these effects. We analyse the environmental institutional framework and rural development plans, observing that institutional weaknesses have, in several instances, reduced the environmental benefit of technique and composition effects. We conclude with recommendations about how the Mexican agricultural sector might reap the environmental benefits of international agricultural trade.     

Race as a factor in university admissions

In two recent cases, Grutter v. Bollinger, 539 U.S. 306. (2003) and Gratz v. Bollinger, 539 U.S. 244. (2003), the Supreme Court held that the Equal Protection Clause permitted state schools to use race-sensitive admissions in order to obtain the educational benefits that flow from a diverse student body. The diversity-based argument for race-sensitive admissions, scholarships, awards, and other opportunities at universities should have been rejected because it does not consider the full range of costs and benefits and because the more narrow educational effects probably weigh against such programs. However, this does not suggest that applicants’ race, ethnicity, and gender should be ignored. Rather the same consideration that led to the defeat of the diversity argument, i.e., reasoning capacity, supports the consideration of demographic factors. However, attention to such factors further undermines the consequentialist case for affirmative action.     

Randomized experiments in criminology: What have we learned in the last two decades?

This paper aims to review randomized experiments in criminology with offending outcomes and reasonably large numbers that were published between 1982 and 2004. A total of 83 experiments are summarized, compared with only 35 published between 1957 and 1981: 12 on policing, 13 on prevention, 14 on corrections, 22 on courts, and 22 on community interventions. Randomized experiments are still relatively uncommon, but there have been more large-scale multi-site experiments and replication programs. There have also been several experiments in which 100 or more places were randomly assigned. Relatively few experiments (only 10 out of 83) were conducted outside the United States. Meta-analyses suggest that prevention methods, correctional therapy, batterer programs, drug courts, juvenile restitution and deterrent policing were effective in reducing offending, while Scared Straight and boot camp programs caused a significant increase in offending.     

大学生就业问题的建构与误读

高等教育由精英教育转向大众教育过程中,人们对高等教育的观念转变相对滞后,在大学生就业问题上存在建构和误读.在没有清楚界定"大学生就业难问题",就业率统计指标和数据可靠性存在问题的情况下,断言"就业难"或"不难"都不恰当.认为"高校扩招"和"学生要改变择业观念"是就业难的主要原因,也是流于表面且不合时宜的解读.     

四川省家禽及鸟类减蛋综合征血清流行病学调查

采集四川省农村散养的鸡、鸭、鹅、鹌鹑、鸽和野外麻雀的血液，分离血清，应用微量血凝抑制（ＨＩ）试验检测减蛋综合征（ＥＤＳ－７６）病毒感染情况。阳性率为：鸡３．０１％（１３／４３２），鸭４４．８６％（４３６／９７２），鹅２８．８１％（１１９／４１３），鹌鹑３．５７％（２７／７５６），鸽１８．７５％（１８／９６），麻雀３０．５６％（１１／３６）；另外在１９８５年疫病普查时采集并保存的鸭、鹅血清中也查到了ＤＥＳ－７６抗体，阳性率分别为鸭４３．３０％（４２／９７），鹅２６．４０％（２９／１１０）。     

对我国发展循环经济的思考

从20世纪80年代开始,我国用短短的20多年走完了发达国家上百年的历程。发展规模之大、速度之快世所罕见。但是,我们在发展中走的仍是传统发展之路,能源、资源消耗大,经济、社会效益低,特别是生态环境破坏严重、代价高昂。有关专家提出,靠传统的发展模式解决不了经济发展中面临的资源生产率问题,必须树立科学发展观,坚定地实施可持续发展战略,走循环经济发展之路。本文着力探讨解决经济增长与资源和生态环境之间的矛盾的出路———发展循环经济,并提出了相应的对策措施。     

公益诉讼制度初探

近年来,随着公民法律意识与权利意识地加强,各地不断爆出不计个人得失为公共利益而提起诉讼的普通公民,但他们的起诉无一例外都是被驳回。这是因为我国现行的诉讼制度在确定诉讼当事人时,对原告采用的是“适格说”,即原告必须是与本案有直接利害关系的公民、法人和其他组织,也就是说,原告必须是为了维护自身的合法权利提起诉讼。对于为了维护国家和社会公共利益而提起诉讼,它的主体在我国只能是人民检察院,即由检察院代表国家提起,而目前,检察院只有权对刑事案件提起公诉,对民事、行政案件只有检察监督权而无起诉权。这说明我国的诉讼制度还有待完善,而完善的途径之一就是引入公益诉讼制度。