In the analysis of bilateral trade flows, reported trade of zero or missing observations is quite common and this is a problem when estimating log-linear gravity equations. This has caused many researchers to either ignore the zero trade flows or replace the zero with a small positive number....

The traditional approach to the analysis of food policy treats government as an impartial 'clearing house,' balancing the needs of different groups and correcting for market failures. Recent writings on political economy, particularly relating to agriculture, argue that policy making should be...