The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union has undergone significant reform since the early 1990s, with the aim of improving its market orientation. There is an increasing focus on breaking the link between direct income payments and production decisions — so called...

A Productivity Commission Staff Working Paper, Armington Elasticities and Terms of Trade Effects in Global CGE Models by Xiao-guang Zhang was released on 8 February 2006, in conjunction with the staff working paper, The Armington Model. Armington elasticities specify the degrees of substitution...

A Productivity Commission Staff Working Paper, The Armington Model, by Peter Lloyd and Xiao-guang Zhang was released on 8 February 2006, in conjunction with an additional staff working paper, Armington Elasticities and Terms of Trade Effects in Global CGE Models. The paper explores how models...

The purpose of this paper is to contrast an Armington-based model with the traditional Heckscher-Ohlin framework familiar to textbook trade theory. The models concentrate on different aspects of the gains from trade, and both have deficiencies. The paper argues that by combining both frameworks,...

The research report, Battery Eggs Sale and Production in the ACT, was released in November 1998. The report contains the findings of the Productivity Commission's commissioned study. The report examines the effectiveness of the ACT legislation banning of the production, sale of battery eggs and...

Geographical isolation and sound quarantine procedures have protected Australia's agricultural industries from major animal diseases such as Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD). However, the Commonwealth Government as part of its planning and preparedness for a possible FMD outbreak asked the...

In August 2002, the Commission was asked to look at the economic and social importance of the different industries in the Great Barrier Reef and its catchment. The Commission also would evaluate the costs and benefits of actions to address declining water quality which currently threatens the...

'Pastoral Leases and Non-Pastoral Land Use' was released on 5 July 2002. The paper reviews pastoral lease arrangements across jurisdictions in Australia and the extent to which these affect the emergence of non-pastoral land uses. Some comparisons are also made with pastoral lease arrangements...

'Constraints on Private Conservation of Biodiversity' was released on 18 July 2001. Conserving biodiversity is essential to maintain ecosystems to support life. It is also important for a range of economic, social and cultural reasons. However, biodiversity is under threat from a range of...

This Productivity Commission staff working paper (by Andrew Barker, Tim Murray and John Salerian) was released March 2010. Urban water and its management have been the subject of much public debate. The timing and choice of investments to augment water supply, different approaches to water...