In this article, we apply a model of vertical product differentiation to the Japanese beef market. We theoretically derive a system of consumer demand functions for quality-differentiated beef in Japan. We choose a particular utility function which is nonlinear in the consumption of the...

Persian rugs are woven in different parts of the Islamic Republic of Iran. However, the rugs woven in Eastern Azerbaijan, Esfahan, and Qum have a worldwide reputation. A poliy Analysis Matrix (PAM) is used to study the rug industry in these provinces. Our analysis is concentrated on the...

This study examines the time-varying Japanese price reactions to the 2001 Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) discovery, the 2000 outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD), and the 1996 E. coli food po isoning events. Historical decomposition of retail-level price-series aids in explaining the...

In this study, we evaluate the effects of the recent Federal Reserve’s purchases of long-term assets on prices of agricultural commodities. The first large-scale asset purchases began at the end of 2008, after the Great Recession, and the second purchases began in November of 2010. The...