This paper examines the changes in nutritional behavior of Russian adults over the ten-year transition period, between 1994 and 2004. We present evidence on the impact of individual as well as regional characteristics on changes in fat, protein, alcohol and cigarette consumption, and on...

An intermittent and lumpy pattern of investments is observed in the Dutch horticulture sector: only 16.5% of firms experience of investment spike, but they account for 67.7% of total investment. The objective of this paper is to examine the impact of time-varying and time-invariant variables on...

Investment models typically explain only a small share of the total investmentvariation within or between firms. A reason for this may be that those models do not explicitlydifferentiate between the decision to invest and the decision about the level of investment. Inthis paper, a two-steps...

The entry and exit decisions, considered as investment decisions, areinvestigated in the paper. Taking into account the heterogeneity of entry andexit, the analysis is based on two types of entry-exit: real (related to theestablishment or closing of a firm), or entry-exit in a new sector...

The high and rapidly rising adult obesity rates in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand are associated with major health risks, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, and some forms of cancer; large health care costs; and premature deaths annually. For...

This study examines the interaction between Food Stamp Program (FSP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program participation, provides a model of joint decisions made by households on FSP, TANF, and labor force participation, and explains why households choose different...

This study tests the theory of rationing, examining changes in household consumption behavior during the transition to a market economy in Poland, 1987–92. A model of consumption under rationing is developed and fitted to prereform quarterly data from the Polish Household Budget Survey. Virtual...

Replaced with revised version of paper 11/29/06.

Whereas water is an important input in rice production, China faces severe problems with increasing demand for water and limited water resources. In conventional paddy production, one of the most important irrigated crops, a significant amount of irrigation water is lost due to percolation and...

Since the seminal work of Adam Smith, markets have been considered an efficienttool for co-ordinating the behaviour of economic agents. The basic characteristicof a market economy is that the complex system of interaction amongindividuals is not centrally coordinated. Under the assumption of...