We discuss a family of clusters C corresponding to the region whose boundary is formed by a fractional Brownian path y(i) and by the moving average function yn(i)≡1n∑k=0n−1y(i−k). Our model generates fractal directed patterns showing spatio-temporal complexity, and we demonstrate that...

The ageing of farmers and lack of successors are major concerns for the future of the sector. The paper analyses the age structure of family workers with a twofold objective. The ageing dynamics is analyzed in order to seek out its inertial components as well as any new trends there may be. The...

The paper contribute to the assessment of PDO/PGI schemes by building an approach to measuring the actual performance of the PDO/PGI products in relation to the objectives of the European Regulation 510/2006. This is done through a multi-criteria ex-post analysis that compares the performance of...

We study the performance of the so called Made in Italy agri-food exports over the last fifteen years, merging the strand of analysis that estimated price and demand elasticities with that considering more explicitly the role of product quality. We proceed in three steps. First, we estimate the...

Non-price competition is increasingly important in world food markets. Recently, the expression export sophistication has been introduced in the economic literature to refer to a wide set of attributes that increase product value. An index has been proposed to measure sophistication in an...

The Hurst exponent H of long range correlated series can be estimated by means of the detrending moving average (DMA) method. The computational tool, on which the algorithm is based, is the generalized variance σDMA2=1/(N-n)∑i=nN[y(i)-y˜n(i)]2, with y˜n(i)=1/n∑k=0ny(i-k) being the average...

Fischlers Reform of the Cap has introduced economic support to reinforce the range of instruments aimed at promoting food quality. Before the Reform, European Union market intervention for food quality was confined to the regulatory ground. The paper discusses the economic justifications for...

The scarce presence of young farmers is commonly considered one of the main weak points in the competitiveness of European agriculture. Firstly, the lack of young farmers puts under risk the survival of the sector itself, given that the main effect of an inadequate rate of generational turnover...

The paper discusses the unsatisfactory results of the European policy for food quality. Economic justifications for public intervention in this field are briefly summarized. Financial aid, introduced by the 2003 Reform to reinforce the range of instruments to promote food quality, is also...