In this paper we study the trade creation effects of the EU preferential trade agreements (PTAs) in the agriculture and food sectors for a large sample of developing countries in the period 1990-2006. We build upon the existing literature on trade with heterogeneous firms, by investigating the...

Using a unique dataset of maize samples and consumer interviews form Eastern Kenya, we find that the presence of the fungal contaminant aflatoxin is negatively associated with the use of maize flour for food. While food remains the most common use of maize regardless of the presence of the...

Is the relationship between energy and agricultural commodities an important factor in the increasing price variability of food commodities? Findings from the literature appear to be mixed and highly influenced by the data frequency used in those analysis. A recurrent task in time series applied...

The United States cheese consumption has grown considerably over the years. Using Nielsen Homescan panel data for calendar years 2005 and 2006, this paper examines the effect of economic and socio-demographic factors on the demand for disaggregated cheese varieties. In this study, we estimated...

We exploit variation in the timing of specialty crop insurance supply to different crops and counties in California to assess its effect on output as decomposed into yield and harvested acreage. Four woody-perennial crops and one field-annual crop are used to represent this effect. We find that...

The Gulf of Mexico (GOM) is the primary producer of shrimp in the United States and annual production from this region has remained relatively constant over the past several decades. By comparison, U.S. shrimp imports have increased from about 400 million pounds annually during the early 1990s...

If relative prices of goods within a commodity group are constant, Hicksian separability lets the price of a single good represent the group price level. This is relied on by designers of price questionnaires used in household surveys and by methods of estimating demand systems from household...

Unlike many other vintage goods, distilleries often opt to mature their stocks to different ages, selling a heterogeneous line of products which vary in quality. We develop a theoretical model to examine the maturation decisions of a whisky distillery and find that it is possible for a...

Using a comprehensive dataset covering most derivatives trades reported to US exchanges since 1954, we present distributional estimates of the rate at which derivative trading volumes rise and fall. Our results suggest that the lifecycle of cleared derivatives changed fundamentally in the...

The organic milk pay price is more stable year round and increases every year. However, the conventional milk price varies within the year and from year to year. As an emerging segment of the milk industry, consumer demand for organic milk is increasing rapidly. The growth in demand relative to...