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Maize has been a staple food in Mexico since pre-Hispanic times and is still an important source of calories and protein in daily consumption, especially for poor families. The pattern of consumption is nevertheless changing; with the share of food consumption declining and feed utilisation expanding. The agro-climatic conditions of production are highly diverse, with wide ranges in yields and rainfed areas accounting for the major share of total maize area and of total production. Mexico has become an important importer of both maize grain and seed. Reduction of these high levels of grain imports and growth in domestic production are priority policy objectives.

Improved seeds are sown in only one-fifth of the total area cultivated, but half the irrigated area. Despite the wide genetic variability of maize in Mexico only five improved varieties accounted for almost half the improved seed used during the spring/summer growing season. There is a pressing need in Mexico for a wider ...

With annual production averaging over 20 million metric tons, Brazil is the second largest developing country producer of maize (after China) and the third largest in the world. This report analyses development and dissemination of maize research and technology in Brazil from a socio-economic and politico-institutional perspective. It concentrates therefore on agents and factors which influence development of research and its productive application.

The report is in two parts. First it describes the role of maize in the Brazilian economy - the main characteristics of its production, marketing and consumption, together with relevant sectoral policies and regulation of seed production. Then it analyses the development of maize research and technology in Brazil, identifying the main agents involved and possible future developments in the light of the introduction of biotechnologies.

As an Appendix, the authors review development of biotechnologies in Brazil.

Many people have ...

Maize is a relatively new crop in Thailand, but since commercial production began in the 1950s it has become the second most important crop in terms of planted area and one of the country's top four agricultural exports. Major changes are occurring in the maize market in Thailand. On the supply side, increased production through land expansion will be curtailed in the future to prevent further destruction of forest areas and the area under cultivation actually reduced. On the demand side, until recently most maize was exported, but the rapid increase in domestic demand for livestock feed brings the future of exports into question. Higher yields could be achieved with current maize varieties through the increased application of fertilizer. However, not only is fertilizer expensive (the price of nitrogen is about six times the price of maize): there are also risks involved in applying fertilizer in Thailand's mainly rain-fed production conditions.

Public sector maize research in ...

Investment growth in the OECD area has been higher in the second half of the 1980s than in the 1970s. However, the ratio of net investment to GDP has remained low by past cyclical standards. This paper first reviews the evolution of business-sector fixed investment and addresses measurement issues related to computers and intangible investment. It then examines the determinants of investment and the extent to which governments can and should influence capital formation. Time-series properties of investment, output and the cost of capital do not appear to be consistent with well-established theories of investment. The best predictor of investment is found to be its own past history. Therefore, although higher investment could be beneficial to future consumption and economic growth, the effectiveness of policies to raise investment via the cost of capital is largely uncertain ...

After rice, maize is the second most important staple food in Indonesia, and is cultivated under a diversity of agro-ecological conditions. While food accounts for more than half total maize utilisation, demand for maize as livestock feed - particularly for poultry - has been growing rapidly in recent years. The Indonesian Development Plan sets production targets for maize for different regions, according to different technological "packages" in terms of the type of seed used and level of other inputs. Although the recommended technology packages imply wider diffusion of improved seed, only a small share of the total area cultivated is sown to hybrids and the commercial seeds industry is only just emerging.

Unlike rice and soybean, maize is not a major focus of policy intervention. Nevertheless, farm revenue in maize production has been increasing despite growing production costs per hectare. Given the high price of hybrids compared to open-pollinated varieties so far obtained ...

This paper explains why a debtor country may be eager to spend foreign exchange reserves on the retirement of its cross-border obligations at market prices. A simple two-period framework shows that such spending can be profitable to both the debtor countries and their foreign creditors, and thereby provides an explanation as to why the so-called buybacks of LDC debt actually take place. An extended version of the basic framework shows how buybacks can be induced by having commercial creditors grant debt forgiveness, and why debt forgiveness thereby becomes an optimal strategy for creditors to follow ...

This study examines the potential impact of changes in the public/private sector balance for biotechnology development and diffusion in developing country agriculture. It focuses on biotechnology related to two important developing country crops: rice and cocoa.

The study highlights the differences in the ways in which research on the two crops is organised, at both national and international level, in the financial and scientific resources devoted to research and in the public and private actors involved. It stresses the need for government intervention in setting national research priorities and for innovative institutional arrangements — including public/private sector collaboration — in situations where public research funding has been reduced or is increasingly scarce ...

India's self-sufficiency in food production has been achieved by the adoption of chemicals-intensive farming methods which have contributed to serious deterioration of the environment. New evironmentally-friendly technologies, which maintain (or increase) current levels of productivity, are needed if the use of chemical inputs is to be reduced. This study examines the development and diffusion of biotechnologies in India, with respect to both products derived from conventional biological methods and those using the more advanced techniques of molecular biology.

Thus far, the contribution of available biofertilisers and biopesticides to reduced use of agro-chemicals is marginal, due to the vicious circle created by problems of supply as well as demand. By and large, biofertilisers and biopesticides are being produced on a small scale, using inefficient technologies. Inconsistent quality and poor performance thus combine to limit demand and their acceptance by farmers which, in ...

This case study of Mexico examines developments in agricultural biotechnology against the background of recent changes in macro-economic, environmental and agricultural policies as well as in the regulation of the seeds industry, intellectual property protection and biosafety. It also identifies incentives and constraints at the different phases of research, technology development and diffusion of biotechnology in agriculture.

The study suggests that, under current conditions, biotechnology is likely to benefit only those producers already taking advantage of relatively complex technological packages and to bypass small farmers and peasants. It concludes with recommendations for the establishment of a biotechnology policy for the agriculture sector.

This case study of Zimbabwe has examined developments in biotechnology against the background of a welldeveloped national agricultural research, plant breeding and seeds system. It has then assessed the constraints to biotechnology research, technology development and diffusion in the light of the resources available and the technology transfer mechanisms in place for different groups of farmers.

The study concludes that, in the case of Zimbabwe's large-scale commercial farmers, the transfer of biotechnology applications will be determined essentially by their economic advantage over techniques currently in use. In the case of the small-scale and communal areas farmers, it is unlikely that biotechnology innovations — particularly when delivered as seed — would be adopted unless special policy measures to address the problems of seeds supply, are taken ...

The purpose of this volume is to provide a reference book and a training manual for public administrators in the transitional economies, and in particular for officials with budgeting and policy-making responsibilities. The book is a follow-up to the Multicountry Seminar in Ljubljana (1-2 April 1996). It compiles the papers that were presented at the seminar in a format suitable for use as a reference book or training manual. For example, at the beginning of each part the reader will find an explanation of terms intended to facilitate understanding and consultation, along with brief summaries and notes comparing the systems and experiences presented in the articles. Similarly, after each article the reader is directed to ready sources of further information.

This report – linked to the technical documents of the OECD manuals for the measurement of R&D activities (“Frascati Family”) – presents the essential elements of bibliometrics and its application to the analysis of research systems. Bibliometrics is based on the enumeration and statistical analysis of scientific output in the form of articles, publications, citations, patents and other, more complex indicators. It is an important tool in evaluating research activities, laboratories and scientists, as well as the scientific specialisations and performance of countries. The report, having set the background for the development of bibliometrics, presents the databases on which bibliometrics is built, as well as the principal indicators used. Twenty-five examples are presented at the end of the document, illustrating the various uses of bibliometric methods for analysing research systems. These indicators measure scientific output, by counting the number of papers; the impact of ...

This publication is the product of a multi-country seminar on budgeting and controlling personnel costs which SIGMA organised in March 1996 in Paris. The seminar’s purpose was to provide an opportunity for senior practitioners from central and eastern European countries to examine different approaches to budgeting and controlling personnel costs, and their viability in light of the specific needs and constraints of each country. Drawing in particular on the experience of EU Member countries, the seminar enabled participants to compare different types of budgeting and monitoring, their respective advantages and disadvantages, as well as their prerequisites regarding institutions and procedures.

• Biotechnology offers the potential for more environmentally-friendly agriculture but the conditions for developing countries to take advantage of that potential should be created. • Policy intervention is needed to ensure that biotechnology responds to the priorities set for agriculture. • Decisions are urgently needed in two policy areas specific to biotechnology: biosafety and intellectual property rights. • Public funding restrictions demand innovative approaches and public/private partnerships. • Flexibility and long-term commitment are essential if donor-supported biotechnology initiatives are to succeed.

The Republic of Bulgaria was restored in January 1990, following amendments to the communist-inspired constitution, which put an end to the single-party rule of the Bulgarian Communist Party, and the conclusion of the round table agreement between the communist government and representatives of the democratic opposition. The new Bulgarian Constitution was adopted by the Grand National Assembly in July 1991. It marked the return to multi-party democracy. Since the beginning of democratic transformation in Bulgaria, four general parliamentary elections have been held, including the elections to what was then called the Grand National Assembly of June 1990, and elections to the national assembly in October 1991, December 1994 and, most recently, April 1997. The next parliamentary elections are scheduled for spring 2001. Presidential elections were held in January 1992 and November 1996. The next elections for the presidency will be held in autumn 2001. Democratic local government elections took place in October 1991 and in November 1995. The next round of local elections will take place in the autumn of 1999.

The 1990s have witnessed pronounced boom-bust cycles in emerging-markets lending, culminating in the Asian financial and currency crisis of 1997-98. By examining the links between sovereign credit ratings and dollar bond yield spreads over 1989-97, this paper aims at broad empirical content for judging whether the three leading rating agencies — Moody’s, Standard ' Poor’s and Fitch IBCA — can intensify or attenuate boom-bust cycles in emerging-market lending. First, an event study exploring the market response for 30 trading days before and after rating announcements finds a significant impact of imminent upgrades and implemented downgrades for a combination of ratings by the three leading agencies, despite strong anticipation of rating events. Second, a Granger causality test, by correcting for joint determinants of ratings and yield spreads, finds that changes in sovereign ratings are mutually interdependent with changes in bond yields. These findings are based on many more ...

This paper focuses on the capacity requirements and price development for telecommunication infrastructure for business-to-business electronic commerce.

Bribery is becoming a high priority public concern and the legal framework and enforcement apparatus used in the fight against it are being developed in the OECD and elsewhere. Reflecting these civic and legal pressures, firms now often deal with bribery in their codes of corporate conduct – public statements of commitment to abide by a certain standard of business conduct. The question of what firms do internally in the fight against bribery is probably as important to the successful outcome of that fight as formal anti-bribery law and as the attitudes of the public. This paper looks at corporate approaches to anti-bribery commitment and at managerial approaches to implementing these commitments in an inventory of 246 codes of conduct.

The paper shows that, while bribery is often mentioned in the codes of conduct, there is considerable diversity in the language and concepts adopted in anti-bribery commitments. This diversity is a feature of the language used in describing parties ...

The project to build a new library at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) arose because library resources and services had become scattered across the campus, due to a lack of space in the original library building. The facilities and services needed to be adapted to the evolution of library management and to the needs of a growing number of users. Building a new library was also motivated by the university’s educational objective to increase student autonomy and to stimulate critical thinking and individual research.