12 pages., Online via UI electronic subscription, Authors developed a composite index of GMO standard restrictiveness for 60 countries, assigning objective scores to six different regulatory dimensions. Results showed that many of the determinants highlighted in the theoretical literature are important determinants of the restrictiveness of the GMO regulation. Findings emphasized the prominent role of the market for information, "showing that the structure of domestic mass media (public vs. private) is an important driver of GMO standards."
17 pages., Online via UI electronic subscription, Case study assessing the effects of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines published jointly by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. Findings suggested that release of the guidelines and related media attention increased availability and sales of whole-grain foods. Emphasized the key role of product reformulation, induced by competition among food suppliers.
9 pages., Online via UI electronic subscription., A choice experiment was used to evaluate the U.S. public's willingness to pay for egg attributes including housing system, color, size, and certifying agency. A significant difference in willingness to pay for hen housing systems was found using video information treatments describing hen housing systems. Participants were indifferent between hen housing systems when they viewed video treatments describing hen housing systems. However, they clearly preferred the cage-free system when they viewed no video treatments. "Results point towards potential public misunderstanding of the costs and benefits associated with the "cage-free" egg label designation."
Explores public perceptions of risk to the image of food exporting countries in foreign markets for food products that involve genetically modified crops.
9 pages., Online via UI electronic subscription, Researchers analyzed the effectiveness of the European Union Pledge, a self-regulation initiative of leading food companies at the European level, in restricting television advertising of food and drink products high in fat, sugar or salt to children. Results indicated that effectiveness was limited by the focus on children's program and the relatively lenient nutritional criteria agreed to by signatory companies.
8 pages., Online via UI electronic subscription, Through a questionnaire administered to university students taking food-related courses, researchers found that message framing has an influence on their purchasing intentions related to a food hazard issue. Results further suggested that the effect of framing was related to the respondent's prior knowledge about the issue.
3 pages, via online journal, Agriculture is the backbone of most developing economies and structural transformation an important vehicle for economic development in low-income agrarian contexts. This special issue brings together a set of high quality academic studies to answer key research questions of importance to understanding agricultural development and change in developing country settings. Using the case of Vietnam, this collection provides comprehensive analytical contributions, that rely on detailed microdata, to understand crucial topics within the fields of agricultural and development economics. Together, these studies provide important insights into the mechanisms underlying structural transformation and its consequences that can contribute to the design of policies to manage the structural transformation process effectively, particularly for the most vulnerable groups in society.
