This paper offers a new way of assessing government cash transfers using a social welfare function framework. It demonstrates how one can use social welfare functions to measure the efficiency of such program s without requir ing the specif ication of a poverty line or particular poverty...

Index-basierte Termingeschäfte auf dem Nahrungsmittelmarkt werden kritisiert, weil sie für rasante Preissteigerungen und Hungerrevolten verantwortlich gemacht werden. Die Autoren haben die Literatur zum Nahrungsmittelmarkt ausgewertet und die realwirtschaftlichen Ursachen für die...

An evaluation of 35 research papers into the impact of financial speculation on agricultural commodities markets has revealed: The vast majority of studies did not confirm the concerns that prevail in public discourse. The current state of knowledge indicates only a few, and weak, findings that...

Russia, a former net importer of wheat, has developed into one of the leading actors in the world wheat market within the last decade. Forecasts suggest that Russia's share in the world market may increase even further and Russia might become the world's largest wheat exporter by 2020. One key...