Farm-level Census data and county-level income shock data reveal that past unexpected income shocks affect the rate of change in average farm size. Average farm size increases more quickly in counties experiencing negative income shocks as compared to counties experiencing positive income...

Land and market imperfections shape the organization of agricultural production and lead to differentproduction regimes within rural farm households in South Africa. This paper presents a theoretical modelto explain the presence of three main households groups (classes) determined on the basis...

This paper examines the farm size and productivity relationship using data from Nepalese mid hills. The household data used has been drawn from a survey conducted by the author and financed by the Norwegian University of Life Science. The analysis uses models both allowing for and not allowing...

Large estimates of the benefits of microeconomic reform have been put forward in official studies. By contrast, Quiggin (1997) concludes that benefits of microeconomic reforms have been modest. A key area of disagreement relates to the claim that increased competition leads to increases in...

While economies of scope of lending and mobilizing deposits in banking are justifiedtheoretically (Diamond, 1984) and found empirically (see Saunders, 1999), in microfinance, theexistence and the magnitudes of scope economies has not been investigated. We use a semiparametric smooth coefficient...

The Czech Republic entered the crisis with relatively good starting conditions - showed no significant macroeconomic imbalances and financial system was not destabilized. However, the crisis has here also been and a decline in GDP in 2009 to 4.1% was mainly due to economic recession in the Euro...

The farm household structure is a complex set of inter-relationships between and among a variety of internal and external factors involving consumption, investment, and income-earning activities. In this paper we use ARMS data to explore the contribution of off-farm income to the viability of...

The objective of this paper is to construct a framework for analyzing trade-offs between economic performance and environmental pressure at firm level. Based on a literature review, partially conflicting economic-environmental trade-off paradigms are structured and five necessary conditions for...

Replaced with revised version of paper Jan. 11, 2012

The issue of optimal company size as well as related efficiency issues have always been a great dilemma for scientists and professionals alike. It is now evident that a bigger size would not result in greater efficiency for all activities.As a result of my research, I point out that to achieve...