Kyoto Environment and Development (KED) Seminar is taking place at 3pm this Thursday.

We will welcome Takashi Kurosaki from Hitotsubashi University, and he will talk about the effects of the Covid-19 & Natural Agricultural Shocks on Preferences of Pakistani Farmers.

Kyoto Environment and Development Seminar #26

• Date &Time: October 26, 2023, Thursday, 15:00-16:30 (JST)
• Language: English
• Venue: Seminar Room E217 (GSA, Kyoto University) / Zoom Web Seminar
• Speaker: Takashi Kurosaki (Hitotsubashi University)

If you would like to join this meeting via Zoom, register in advance:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about the meeting.

Title:

Effects of the Covid-19 & Natural Agricultural Shocks on Preferences of Pakistani Farmers (co-authored with Hamza Umer, Hitotsubashi University)

Abstract:

It is imperative to examine how different negative shocks influence preferences because preferences influence micro level decisions that provide foundations for macro-level outcomes. We contribute to this domain by reporting an incentivized field experiment that examined the effects of agr icultural income shocks driven by either the Covid-19 or other natural calamities on preferences of Pakistani farmers such as risk-taking, impatience, generosity and fairness. We find that the Covid-19 shock reduced impatience and generosity while the natural shock increased risk-aversion. Our findi ngs suggest that despite having a similar impact on farmers’ agricultural income, the two shocks influence a different set of preferences, and hence, we need to measure them both to identify their precise impact on preferences. Overall, these results offer new information about the relative impacts of the Covid-19 and natural shocks on preferences and help us understand the wealth and age-based heterogeneous effects of these shocks.

Contact

Chair: Ken Miura (Division of Natural Resource Economics, Kyoto University)

• Ken Miura [at] 　(replace [at] with @)

The Kyoto Environment and Development Seminar cordially invite you to join the hybrid seminar.

Kyoto Environment and Development Seminar #19-20

• Date & Time: May 25, 2023, Thursday, 15:00-18:15 (JST)
• Language: English
• Venue: Seminar Room E217 (GSA, Kyoto University) / Zoom Web Seminar
• Speaker: Takeshi Sakurai (University of Tokyo) and John Gibson (University of Waikato)

Register in advance for this meeting:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Presentation by Takeshi Sakurai
Title: Improving Infant Nutrition through the Market: Experimental Evidence from Ghana

Abstract:

This study investigates the impact on infants’ nutritional status of introducing a new complementary food product for infants into the market. We conducted experimental sales of the product, Koko Plus, with randomly selected mother-infant pairs every week for half a year in Ghana. We found that the introduction of Koko Plus into the market significantly increased children’s weight. However, the effect was heterogeneous: it was smaller among children whose baseline weight was lower. We investigated the mechanisms underlying this heterogeneity and found that it was associated with access to safe drinking water. If mothers gave their children safe drinking water, the sale of Koko Plus significantly increased their child’s weight regardless of baseline nutrition status. The results imply that the success of a market-based approach to complementary food products in improving infant nutrition is dependent on access to safe drinking water.

Presentation by John Gibson
Title: Measuring rural economic activity remotely: Do we just need better sensors?

Abstract:

It is difficult and expensive to measure rural economic activity in developing countries. The usual survey-based approach is less informative than often realized due to combined effects of the clustered samples dictated by survey logistics and the spatial autocorrelation in rural livelihoods. Administrative data, like sub-national Gross Domestic Product for lower level spatial units, are often unavailable and informality and seasonality of many rural activities raises doubts about the accuracy of these measurements. In order to overcome these barriers a recent literature argues that high-resol ution satellite imagery can be used to measure rural economic activity and can provide indicators of rural living standards. Potential advantages of using remote sensing data include greater comparability between countries irrespective of their varying levels of statistical capacity, cheaper and mor e timely data availability, and the possibility of extending estimates to spatial units below the level at which GDP data or survey data are reported. While there are many types of remote sensing data, economists have particularly seized upon satellite-detected nighttime lights (NTL) as a proxy for local economic activity. Yet there are growing doubts about the universal usefulness of this proxy, with recent evidence suggesting that NTL data are a poor proxy in low-density rural areas of developing countries. This study examines performance in predicting rural sector economic activity in China with different types of satellite-detected NTL data that come from sensors of varying resolution. We include the most popular NTL source in economics, the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program data, whose resolution is, at best, 2.7 km, two data sources from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiomet er Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi/NPP satellite which have spatial resolution of km, and data from the Luojia-01 satellite which is even more spatially precise, with a resolution of km. With this range of resolutions we can ascertain whether better sensors, used by the more spatially precise d ata sources, lead to more accurate predictions of county-level primary sector GDP. We supplement this statistical assessment with a set of ground-truthing exercises. Overall, our study helps to inform decisions about future data directions for studying rural economic activity in developing countries .

Chair:

Ken Miura (Division of Natural Resource Economics, Kyoto University)

Contact

Division of Natural Resource Economics, Kyoto University
 Ken Miura

• @　(replace [at] with @)

The Kyoto Environment and Development Seminar cordially invite you to join the hybrid seminar.

Kyoto Environment and Development Seminar #19-20

• Date & Time: May 25, 2023, Thursday, 15:00-18:15 (JST)
• Language: English
• Venue: Seminar Room E217 (GSA, Kyoto University) / Zoom Web Seminar
• Speaker: Takeshi Sakurai (University of Tokyo) and John Gibson (University of Waikato)

Register in advance for this meeting:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Presentation by Takeshi Sakurai
Title: Improving Infant Nutrition through the Market: Experimental Evidence from Ghana

Abstract:

This study investigates the impact on infants’ nutritional status of introducing a new complementary food product for infants into the market. We conducted experimental sales of the product, Koko Plus, with randomly selected mother-infant pairs every week for half a year in Ghana. We found that the introduction of Koko Plus into the market significantly increased children’s weight. However, the effect was heterogeneous: it was smaller among children whose baseline weight was lower. We investigated the mechanisms underlying this heterogeneity and found that it was associated with access to safe drinking water. If mothers gave their children safe drinking water, the sale of Koko Plus significantly increased their child’s weight regardless of baseline nutrition status. The results imply that the success of a market-based approach to complementary food products in improving infant nutrition is dependent on access to safe drinking water.

Presentation by John Gibson
Title: Measuring rural economic activity remotely: Do we just need better sensors?

Abstract:

It is difficult and expensive to measure rural economic activity in developing countries. The usual survey-based approach is less informative than often realized due to combined effects of the clustered samples dictated by survey logistics and the spatial autocorrelation in rural livelihoods. Administrative data, like sub-national Gross Domestic Product for lower level spatial units, are often unavailable and informality and seasonality of many rural activities raises doubts about the accuracy of these measurements. In order to overcome these barriers a recent literature argues that high-resol ution satellite imagery can be used to measure rural economic activity and can provide indicators of rural living standards. Potential advantages of using remote sensing data include greater comparability between countries irrespective of their varying levels of statistical capacity, cheaper and mor e timely data availability, and the possibility of extending estimates to spatial units below the level at which GDP data or survey data are reported. While there are many types of remote sensing data, economists have particularly seized upon satellite-detected nighttime lights (NTL) as a proxy for local economic activity. Yet there are growing doubts about the universal usefulness of this proxy, with recent evidence suggesting that NTL data are a poor proxy in low-density rural areas of developing countries. This study examines performance in predicting rural sector economic activity in China with different types of satellite-detected NTL data that come from sensors of varying resolution. We include the most popular NTL source in economics, the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program data, whose resolution is, at best, 2.7 km, two data sources from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiomet er Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi/NPP satellite which have spatial resolution of km, and data from the Luojia-01 satellite which is even more spatially precise, with a resolution of km. With this range of resolutions we can ascertain whether better sensors, used by the more spatially precise d ata sources, lead to more accurate predictions of county-level primary sector GDP. We supplement this statistical assessment with a set of ground-truthing exercises. Overall, our study helps to inform decisions about future data directions for studying rural economic activity in developing countries .

Chair:

Ken Miura (Division of Natural Resource Economics, Kyoto University)

Contact

Division of Natural Resource Economics, Kyoto University
 Ken Miura

• @　(replace [at] with @)

The Kyoto Environment and Development Seminar cordially invite you to join the hybrid seminar.

Kyoto Environment and Development Seminar #17

• Date & Time: April 20, 2023, Thursday, 11:00-12:15 (JST)
• Language: English
• Venue: Seminar Room E220 (GSA, Kyoto University) / Zoom Web Seminar
• Speaker: Christian Traeger (University of Oslo)

Register in advance for this meeting:

meeting/register/tZUpfuGoqzsrHtRJznPJMDHnZZC2n6d71ZbP
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Title:

SolACE — Solar Geoengineering in an Analytic Climate Economy

Chair:

Yohei Mitani (Division of Natural Resource Economics, Kyoto University)

Contact

Division of Natural Resource Economics, Kyoto University
 Ken Miura

• @　(replace [at] with @)

The Sustainability, Economics, and Ethics (SEE) Research Group at Universitat Ramon Llull in Barcelona, Spain, is offering the following positions:

1. PhD in Sustainable Development in China

2. MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship in Sustainability, Economics and Ethics

Please access the above links for further information on how to apply for each position.

Contact

Any questions can be addressed to

• see [at] （* replace [at] with@）
• PoPMeD-SuSDeV:

Kyoto Environment and Development Seminar #16

Paddy Cultivation as an Origin of Cooperative Norms: Evidence from Natural and Artefactual Experiments

• Date & Time: February 16, 2023, Thursday, 16:45-18:15 (JST)
• Language: English
• Venue: Seminar Room E220 (GSA, Kyoto University) / Zoom Web Seminar
• Speaker: Kei Kajisa (Aoyama Gakuin University)

Register in advance for this meeting:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Abstract:

It has been argued that the paddy cultivation experience enhances cooperative norms through collective farm management. This study aims to test this paddy hypothesis using a unique natural experimental setting in rural Sri Lanka, where two types of irrigation (for paddy or for non-paddy) were randomly assigned to farmers in an irrigation scheme, and, thus, the cultivated crops were exogenously determined.

Compared to the previous large-scale regional or nationwide comparisons, this setting enables us to test the hypothesis under a geographically and culturally homogenous setting. Using these natural and lab-in-the-field experiments, we show that the paddy cultivation experience enhances cooperative norms, particularly among the known members.

This result is consistent with our data showing the greater extent of interdependent work in the real world among paddy farmers. Our study supports the group of literatures which claims that social preference can endogenously change through real-world farming experiences.

Keywords:

Cooperative norms, paddy cultivation, irrigation

Contact

Division of Natural Resource Economics, Kyoto University
Chair: Ken Miura

• [at] (replace [at] with @)

The Resilience seminar cordially invite you to join the following hybrid seminar.
For zoom participation, prior registration is required here.

Resilience Seminar #41

• Date & Time: January 26, 2023, Thu 16:30-18:15 JST
• Language: English
• Venue: Seminar Room E220, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University
  and Zoom Web Seminar (hybrid)

Speaker

Masanori Matsuura, Institute of Developing Economies (IDE-JETRO)

Title

Weather Shocks, Livelihood Diversification, and Household Food Security: Empirical Evidence from Rural Bangladesh

Abstract

Extreme weather shocks have occurred more frequently because of global climate change. Livelihood diversification including crop and income diversification is one of the most remarkable strategies to cope with economic and weather shocks to improve rural livelihood. We investigate the empirical linkages among weather shocks, livelihood diversification, and household food security, exploiting three waves of nationally representative rural household panel data merged with granular climate data in Bangladesh

Brief bio

Mr. Masanori Matsuura worked for a Japanese private think tank as an analyst and obtained MSc in Agricultural Economics at National Taiwan University, prior to joining IDE-JETRO. His research interests lie in the intersection among climate change, food security, health, and rural development.

Contact

Division of Natural Resource Economics
Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University
Ken Miura

• [at] (replace [at] with @)

*This seminar is co-hosted by Kyoto Environment and Development Seminar and Hokkaido Branch of Japan Association for African Studies.

Department of Economics, GITAM School of Humanities and Social Sciences (GSHS), in collaboration with Council for Social Development (CSD) Hyderabad, India, is organizing a National Conference at GITAM (Deemed to be University) Hyderabad campus on 24-25 November. The conference theme is, “Multi-Pronged Responses and Resilience to the Pandemic-Driven Crisis: From Socio-Economic Spheres in the Indian Context”.

The conference will be conducted in HYBRID mode. We would like to invite all the researchers working on the Indian economy, including PhD students to the upcoming conference.

Please check the following conference webpage for more details. The Zoom link of the conference will be shared with the participants later on.

Please note that the abstract submission due date is November 7, 2022. However, we are open to extend it by one more week to November 14, 2022, for ONLINE participants.

Contact

Dr Mandar V. Kulkarni
Organizing Secretary
Department of Economics,
GITAM School of Humanities and Social Sciences,
GITAM Deemed to be University, Hyderabad Campus

• [at]
• mandar11 [at]

(replace [at] with @)

The Kyoto Environment and Development seminar series (zoom) are open to anyone, and so feel free to join us.

For participation, prior registration is required here.
aes-kyotonre

Kyoto Environment and Development Seminar #13 June 30

How do small-scale cassava farmers overcome global issues? –cassava profit and technical efficiency in Cambodia

• Date&Time: June 30 Thus, 10:30-11:30 (JST)
• Language: English
• Venue: Zoom Web Seminar
• Speaker: Hisako Nomura (Kyusyu University)

Abstract:

Abstract: Cassava farmers are facing economic as well as multifaceted natural challenges. Regarding the economic factor, they face price fluctuations of cassava chips and fresh tubers in the global market. Also, unexpected weather conditions and diseases impact the production, too. Under global price fluctuation and unexpected natural hazards, farmers take various strategies to capture the diminishing profits. However, it is not sure which practice leads to capturing profit. Also, there might be some strategies that might even reduce profit. Therefore, this study investigates determinant factors, including inputs to profit efficiency and socio-economic variables that influence technical efficiency. In particular, we examine which farming strategy specific to cassava plantation leads to capturing profit using a Cobb-Douglas stochastic frontier model. Concerning farmers’ strategies, we found that producers should not buy additional bunches for replanting and should plant at the optimized density to capture profits. Other strategies showed ambiguous outcomes. Knowing correct farming practices could improve technical efficiency for profit maximization.

Registration:

meeting/register/tZAvc-iqqzMjHtB45jr7In1IOdRPDBN_QRjg

Contact

Division of Natural Resource Economics
Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University

• Chair: Koichi Kuriyama (Division of Natural Resource Economics, Kyoto University)
• Organizers: Junichi Ito, Yohei Mitani, Ken Miura
• Contact: Ken Miura/ [at] (replace [at] with @)

The “Enric Julià Danés Doctoral Grant” sponsors a three‐year scholarship to pursue a PhD at the IQS School of Management (Universitat Ramon Llull) in Barcelona, Spain under the “Business and Territorial Competitiveness, Innovation and Sustainability” doctoral programme.

It includes an employment con tract (annual stipend of € approx. – full time), starting in September 2022 to work on the project focused on the operationalisation of the ‘leaving no one behind’ framework for the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

It covers all tuition fees for the Doctoral Programme, during the three years, as well as some costs and stipends for relocation. It provides a unique opportunity to work with the IQS Sustainability, Economics and Ethics (SEE) research group.

The thesis will be supervised by Dr. Flavio Comim and also receive institutional support from the Independent Evaluation Office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the form of exchange of data and sharing of access to its Artificial Intelligence for Development Analytics tool AIDA containing thousands of UN evaluation reports.

For further details see jobs/799679

For any questions,

• [at] (replace [at] with @)

The Kyoto Environment and Development seminar series (zoom) are open to anyone, and so feel free to join us.

For participation, prior registration is required here.

Kyoto Environment and Development Seminar #11 June 9

Verifying seafood ecolabeling as a certification of sustainable fish stock

• Date & Time: June 9, 2022, Thursday, 10:30-11:30 (JST)
• Language: English
• Venue: Zoom Web Seminar
• Speaker: Hiroki Wakamatsu (PRIMAFF: Policy Research Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries)

Abstract:

Seafood ecolabeling has recently shed light on a global concern about overexploitation of fish stocks. While seafood ecolabeling is positively evaluated as a tool to increase value of the certified fisheries, sometimes it is criticized its credibility and independence (or fairness) of the assessment. Targeting at the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, Gutiérrez et al. (2012) found that the fish stocks of MSC certified fisheries are exposed three to five times lower risk than those of uncertified fisheries between 2005 and 2011. However, the number of the certified fisheries is not enough in the earlier period. Our study used more recent data between 2005 and 2018 and also integrated the MSC assessment scores to further investigate if the scores are appropriately set to preserve fish stock and control fishing rates. The obtained results generally supported the previous study by with larger variance due to larger sample size and longer period. Random forest regressions found that MSC assessment scores contribute to stock status and fishing rates, followed by species specific characteristics, and that the model predicts fishing rates more precisely than that doe s stock status.

Registration:

meeting/register/tZcsfuqhpjsjE9Fj5JA0DQ6zZ28YX-zx8Mnv

Contact

Division of Natural Resource Economics
Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University

• Chair: Koichi Kuriyama (Division of Natural Resource Economics, Kyoto University)
• Organizers: Junichi Ito, Yohei Mitani, Ken Miura
• Contact: Ken Miura/ [at] (replace [at] with @)

The Kyoto Environment and Development seminar series (zoom) are open to anyone, and so feel free to join us.
For participation, prior registration is required here.

aes-kyotonre

Kyoto Environment and Development Seminar #10

• Date & Time: May 26, 2022, Thursday, 16:45-17:45 (JST)
• Language: English
• Venue: Zoom Web Seminar
• Speaker: Stein Holden (Norwegian University of Life Sciences)

Title: Is diminishing impatience in time-dated risky prospects explained by probability weighting? (Paper: file/fid/54426 This is work in progress that the authors hope to improve upon.)

Abstract:

We use a field experiment and a within-subject design based on multiple Choice Lists (CLs) that integrate time and risk. Diminishing impatience with extended time horizons is studied by varying time horizons from one week to two years. Time-dated risky prospects are constant within CLs and are always compared with time-dated certain amounts to identify time-dated Certainty Equivalents. Non-linear probability weighting is modeled with a 2-parameter Prelec function. First, we identify a strong diminishing impatience associated with longer time delay between prospects. Second, we test whether non-linear probability weighting can explain and reduce the observed diminishing impatience by replacing linear probability weighting with an estimated inverted S-shaped Prelec function. We find that this does not reduce the observed degree of diminishing impatience. We conclude that the observed diminishing impatience is neither explained by the combination of present bias and certainty bias nor by non-linear weighting of risk in future prospects.

Registration:

meeting/register/tZ0lcOyvqzorHdWmLlP4lu8CyYwsH8oENuZY

Contact

Division of Natural Resource Economics
Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University

• Chair: Yohei Mitani (Division of Natural Resource Economics, Kyoto University)
• Organizers: Junichi Ito, Yohei Mitani, Ken Miura
• [at] (replace [at] with @)

The Kyoto Environment and Development seminar series (zoom) are open to anyone, and so feel free to join us.
For participation, prior registration is required here.

Kyoto Environment and Development Seminar #9

• Date & Time: May 19, 2022, Thursday, 10:30-11:30 (JST)
• Language: English
• Venue: Zoom Web Seminar
• Speaker: Ai Takeuchi (Ritsumeikan University)
• Title: Flood risk and household waste management: An experimental study of the effect of information provision on the avoidance of probabilistic public bads

Abstract

In many developing countries household wastes and debris discarded and transported along the river basin trigger flood damages in downstream communities. Although it is generally known that accumulation of wastes in the downstream increases the likelihood of damages, the exact relation between quantity of waste and the likelihood of damage is unknown. Does information provision and reduction of environmental uncertainties enhance individual concerns on the neighborhood environment and promote collective action to improve the environment? This study examines experimentally whether the provision of information on the relationship between accumulated wastes and flood hazard improves efficiency by encouraging voluntary waste management. The result of the experiment suggests that the information provision worsens the freeriding problem and lowers efficiency.

Registration

Contact

Division of Natural Resource Economics
Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University

• Chair: Yohei Mitani (Division of Natural Resource Economics, Kyoto University)
• Organizers: Junichi Ito, Yohei Mitani, Ken Miura
• Contact: Ken Miura
  [at]  (replace [at] with @)

The Chinese Development and Modernization Experience:
Defying mainstream economic theories to achieve unprecedented progress.

• Date: July 7-8, 2022
• Venue: IQS School of Management, Universitat Ramon Llull, Barcelona, Spain

The purpose of this workshop is to assemble academic contributions addressing current opportunities and challenges to China’s National Economic and Social Development and Long-Term Objectives. It also aims to explore how ongoing and upcoming reforms will affect its future prosperity and global relations. The Conference will include distinguished keynote speakers, roundtable forums, and parallel sessions.

Keynote Speakers

• Barbara Fraumeni (Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing, China)
• Jack Hou (California State University, Long Beach, USA)
• Tony Fang (Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Canada)

The organizing committee welcomes both empirical and theoretical contributions.
Papers can address the following issues about Chinese modernization:
– Going Beyond Mainstream Economic Theories
– Human Capital Accumulation and Labor Markets
– The Middle-Income Trap, Demographic Dividends, and Aging Society
– Human Development and Capabilities
– Structural Change and Dual Circulation
– Migration and human mobility

Important Dates

• Abstract submission deadline: May 15th, 2022
• Acceptance decision: May 31st, 2022
• Registration deadline: June 30th, 2022
• Full paper submission deadline: June 30th, 2022

We invite the submission of an abstract in English (500-800 words) from experienced and early-career researchers, including PhD students, to be sent to the E-mail address below.

• [at] (replace [at] with @)

There will be a conference registration fee of 100 euros (50 euros for students). Accommodation and travel arrangements will be left to participants.

A Best Paper Award of 1000 € will be granted to the best early-career paper (authors under 36).

Scientific Committee:

• Octasiano Valerio Mendoza, Universitat Ramon Llull
• Flavio Comim, Universitat Ramon Llull
• Mihály Tamás Borsi, Universitat Ramon Llull
• Xiaobing Wang, Peking University
• Simiao Chen, Universität Heidelberg
• Martina Bofulin, Slovenian Migration Institute

The Kyoto Environment and Development seminar series (zoom) are open to anyone, and so feel free to join us.
For participation, prior registration is required here

Kyoto Environment and Development Seminar #7

• Date &Time: January 13, 2022, Thursday, 10:30-12:00 (JST)
• Language: English
• Venue: Zoom Web Seminar
• Registration: meeting/register/tZwsdu-opz4iH9DJlcNm1_cBPaAYEAo-rhpn
• Speaker: Yimeng Du (Kyoto University)
• Title: Can climate mitigation help the poor? Measuring impacts of the renewable energy-related CDM projects in rural China

Abstract:

This study examines whether investment in climate change mitigation contributes to poverty alleviation. We investigate the impacts of the renewable energy-based clean development mechanism (RE-CDM) projects on rural communities in China. The impacts of RE-CDM projects are estimated by combining propensity score matching with the difference-in-differences approach. We found that the biomass-based CDM projects significantly contribute to income improvement and employment generation in rural communities in China. Our estimation results also reveal that wind energy-based CDM projects have the potential to increase income and the share of labor force in the primary industry in rural areas. These results suggest different channels through which renewable energy sources affect income.

Contact

Division of Natural Resource Economics
Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University

• Chair: Chieko Umetsu (Division of Natural Resource Economics, Kyoto University)
• Organizers: Junichi Ito, Yohei Mitani, Ken Miura, Chieko Umetsu
• Contact: Ken Miura [at] (replace [at] with @)