The Italian pasta industry is, at present, the world largest producer. Since the end of the second world war this industry has experienced a massive restructuring process. Domestic demand, being in a maturity phase, has been characterised by a slow growth rate while the exports have considerably...

This article contributes to the analysis of tacit collusion in quantity-setting supergames involving cost-asymmetric firms. Asymmetry is dealt with by assuming that firms have a different share of a specific asset that affects marginal costs. The model extends optimal punishment schemes in the...

We develop a theoretical welfare framework, which explicitly recognizes that research protected by intellectual property rights generates monopoly profits. The result is a simulation model, shaped to the European sugar sector, and enabling to assess the size and distribution of the benefits of...

In this paper we use content analysis to show trend in public opinion of agrobiotechnology in the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US). We test for the degree of positive and negative content in mass media reporting over the period 1995-1998. Specifically, we test whether there are...

This study provides an overview of the economic costs, benefits, and risks involved with agricultural biotechnology at the farm level, at the market level, and for the farm and food system as a whole. Both advantages and disadvantages of agricultural biotechnology are discussed. Among the...

Uncertainty of returns from marketing is an extremely important factor affecting the diffusion of a wide range of genetically modified (GM) crops worldwide. Biotech companies face complicated choices in making decisions about whether to enter agricultural markets in different countries with...

This study estimates the total benefit arising from the adoption of agricultural biotechnology in one year (1997) and its distribution among key stakeholders along the production and marketing chain. The analysis focuses on three biotech crops: herbicide-tolerant soybeans, insect-resistant (Bt)...