Policy options for sustainability and resilience in potato value chains in Bihar: a system dynamics approach
Potatoes are an important crop for food security in Bihar, providing significant income generating activities for participating farmers and an additional source of diet diversification for consumers. Recent reforms to the Agriculture Production Market Committee (APMC) Act and improvements in state-wide governance have provided further incentives for investment in the potato sector, particularly in cold storage facilities that can mitigate seasonal price fluctuations and improve the availability of potatoes. At the same time, climate change could have severe ramifications on the potato sector in Bihar, with some forecasts redicting a decline in yields of over 20 percent in the coming decades. In this paper, we look at the quantitative impacts over time of different investment, trade, and policy scenarios in the potato value chain, particularly those that can mitigate climate change effects, using a system dynamics model of the potato value chain that builds on previous qualitative studies (e.g. Minten et al. 2011). Preliminary results highlight that reducing storage costs, either through subsidies or increased competition, could reduce the price variability inherent with climatic shocks. On the other hand, encouraging conventional types of cold storage could have additional feedback effects that exacerbate climatic shocks, suggesting a need to consider “climate-smart” investments.
Norden og Kina: «Smått er godt» Islands økonomiske diplomati med Kina.
Although Iceland has a shorter diplomatic history with China in comparison with the other Nordic states, the island nation has built a strong relationship with Beijing which has been dominated by economics, especially the bilateral free trade agreement struck in 2013. Although Iceland is not a major factor in Chinese trade, the Sino-Icelandic relationship has demonstrated China’s commitment to small state diplomacy and Arctic relations.
China’s Modern Global Relations
How will China's current foreign relations be affected as the country becomes more comfortable with its great power status? This is one of the questions Senior Research Fellow at NUPI, Marc Lanteigne, asks in the book Chinese Foreign Policy: An Introduction, which was released in December.
Young research talent at NUPI
Gender-discriminatiory legislation is on the research agenda of NUPI’s Francesca R. Jensenius for the next four years. The funding comes from a prestigious FRIPRO award.
Prestigious funding to NUPI
NUPI has been awarded prestigious TOPPFORSK project funding to study how states cope with challenges in the field of power and geo-politics.
Myanmar elections – what is at stake?
The voting on November 8 takes place within three watershed political transitions. Watch Dr. Marc Lanteignes NUPI talk on the upcoming elections here.
Cancelled: The Stakes and Stakeholders in the 2015 Myanmar Elections
This event is cancelled.
Sectarianism and the politics of Shii ritual in contemporary Pakistan
This seminar focuses on popular piety among Pakistan’s Twelver Shii community, and on the politics of public ritual in relation to international reformist movements and mounting sectarianism in the country.