We utilize a panel data set from 2007 to 2009 on the state of Arkansas to identify and determine the effect of food deserts on school district obesity rates. We define food deserts as low-income areas with limited food access. Using both classical panel data models and spatial error models, we...

Because packaging reaches consumers at the critical moments of purchase and consumption, it has become an important marketing tool for food manufacturers and retailers. In this paper, I first review how the marketing, health and nutrition claims made on packaging create 'health halos' that make...

Empirical analysis of firm-level investment in research and development (R&D) and its effect on innovation patterns and productivity has advanced as a result of innovation surveys in many countries. The weak link in the analysis of these surveys is the empirical model of firm R&D choice. In this...

This article reviews and critically assesses evidence on input subsidy programs implemented in selected countries over the past decade in Africa. We believe that input subsidies should be considered wicked problems because of the indeterminacy and difficulty surrounding how they are evaluated....

School environment and policies may affect children's ability to make healthy food choices both at and away from school. Using data from the third School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study conducted in 2005 we estimate the effect of environment and policies on children's fruit and vegetable...

Descriptions of agricultural producers' participation in nutrient trading schemes generally refer to crop producers reducing nutrient run-off from fields to generate credits. However, livestock producers may participate differently than crop producers because some are regulated as Concentrated...

Interventions that change the food environment, provide nutrition education, and employ behavioral economics strategies can potentially contribute to healthier diets and reduce the risk of chronic disease, but no attempt has been made to integrate these into the same conceptual framework. We...

Effective control of non-performing assets (NPAs) is critical for sustainable and healthy growth in the banking sector of any economy. In this paper we attempt to establish a possible connection between the problems of loan non-repayment in the formal credit market and credit accessibility from...

This paper uses data on daily activities from the American Time Use Survey and the associated Eating & Health Module to analyze the relationships between time poverty and specific energy-balance behaviors. The authors estimate a simultaneous model to jointly analyze the relationships between...

We report the results of experimental auctions with U.S. smokers, assessing the percentage of U.S. smokers whose demand for cigarettes decreases when bidding on packs with text and pictorial warnings, relative to packs with text-only warnings. We find that pictorial labels and pictorial labels...