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Marenne M

True Costs of So-called Cheap Food | Ellen Gustafson - 0 views

  • when you look at the prices of so-called "conventional" junk food compared with local, organic fruits and veggies, on a calorie per dollar basis, the junk often wins.
  • Many people assume that it's the produce or organic foods that "cost more" than highly processed, shelf-stable ubiquitous and cheap junk food, but what if the price tags that we see don't tell the whole story?
  • hich requires acres of corn fields, seeds, gallons of water, gas for heavy machinery, pounds of fertilizer and sprays of pesticides, and government subsidies.
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  • give them antibiotics, deal with their waste, transport them to slaughter, power the slaughter facility, refrigerate the ground meat and then cook it
  • processed wheat bun and condiments.
  • so efficient that all of those costs amortize over tons of ground beef and fixings to make a really cheap burger, or are there parts of that whole list of "costs" that don't actually show up in the price of our fast food burgers?
  • Examples of costs not currently factored into our food supply include the environmental outcomes of chemically-intensive and petroleum-intensive agriculture, costs for soil erosion, real water and irrigation costs, pesticide and waste runoff that creates dead zones in our waterways (like the "New Jersey-sized dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico" that stems from nitrogen runoff from our Corn Belt) and then affects the livelihoods of fishermen and shrimp farmers in the Gulf region.
  • Hidden health costs like our global obesity epidemic and the food-related public health issues of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer are certainly not included in the cost of your fast food meal.
  • unpaid externalities like low wages for food workers that often mean government subsidies like food assistance, which is what over 50 percent of fast food worker families are getting
  • "value" and "low prices" of cheap food that we see at the cash register, are not the whole story
  • We are paying today in our health and our taxes and our children
  • will be paying tomorrow with a degraded environment, dirty water, decimated communities and jobs, and denigrated health.
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    This article describes how processed food and fast food have many negative externalities which in the end makes them cost more than organic foods which are more expensive in the stores. Processed foods may be cheaper than organic food, however the pollution during the process of producing the food, the health problems involved and the low wages which are unpaid for are all consequences which in the end will make these foods cost more.
Hardy Hewson

Breakfast Items Lead a Big Jump in Food Prices - 3 views

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    The cost of meats, fish and eggs led last month to the biggest increase in food prices in nearly two and a half years, according to government data. An index that tracks those foods rose 1.2 percent in February and has climbed 4 percent over the last 12 months. This article outlines the effect of diminishing supply on national food prices. The example featured in this brief article is on the increase price of breakfast foods in the United States.
Jakub B

Food Scarcity May Leave World Hungry Despite Growth - 0 views

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    The article focuses on 'bigger problem' than economical growth in the US. It mentions rapid increase in prices of food (e.g. corn). The writer also compares the growth of median income with the upsurge of essential nutrients.
Yassine G

Price Controls Cause Chaos in Ethiopian Markets - 0 views

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    I choose this article as I found that It demonstrates all the consequences of a price control and from different points of view. In this case, the government set a maximum price. A lot of the citizens were very happy, as they can now afford what they couldn't before, however, with time, they started to realise that the products are disappearing from shelves. The reason is that with the lower price, demand has increased and suppliers can't supply more. The suppliers were affected by this price control too. They are not able to pay their costs any more, and profit made is very little. If the government doesn't take another action to fix what they did, they will have a bigger problem than food being expensive, which is food not exciting due to most groceries closing after not being able to make profits. 
John B

Venezuela businesses brace for more price controls - 0 views

  • Jorge Botti, president of Fedecamaras, said the Law for Fair Costs and Prices will spook investors looking for wider profit margins and cause shortages of basic goods because makers of numerous products will likely scale back production.
  • He said sweeping price regulations applied to goods and services in every area of Venezuela’s economy will inevitably hurt businesses already struggling with socialist-orientated policies established by President Hugo Chavez.
  • While price controls already exist for some basic foods such as cooking oil and rice, the law taking effect Tuesday will extend them to a wider range of goods and give the government more enforcement authority.
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  • Officials will initially focus on setting price controls for food, personal hygiene and home cleaning products, construction materials, automobile parts, medicines and health care services before moving on to other areas of the economy, Granadillo said.
  • Luis Vicente Leon, director of the Venezuelan polling firm Datanalisis, which tracks the availability of basic goods and consumer prices, predicted the law won’t tame inflation and cause shortages of some goods.
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    This article is about trying to bring down the inflation by imposing price controls for food, personal hygiene, home cleaning products, construction materials, automobile parts, medicines and health care services. I personally did not like this article since there were very little explanation of why things would occur. It was just stated one person thinks this will be a good idea, and another person thinks it is a bad idea. Nothing about why they think so.
John B

Reserve Bank India may eventually tighten rates to tame inflation: HSBC - The Economic ... - 0 views

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    This article is dealing with the inflation in India. The inflation in India are seemed to be sticky, but due to El Nino (the warmer-than-average sea surface temperature in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean). It contributes to extreme droughts that makes the price of food increase, and therefore the inflation for food increase
Marenne M

Super Bowl XLVIII Pricing: A Lesson In Demand Elasticity - Forbes - 1 views

  • club-level seats in the mezzanine of MetLife Stadium are likely to cost about $2,600, as compared to the $1,250 charged for the top tickets at last year’s Super Bowl in New Orleans.
  • next-cheapest set of tickets in the lower bowl of MetLife would cost about $1,500, up from the $950 charged for second-tier seats sold in New Orleans.
  • professional sports teams typically price their inventory in the inelastic portion of their demand functions.
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  • eams charge too low a price to maximize ticket revenues
  • maximum attendance
  • omplementary purchases associated with sporting attendance…such as concessions, parking, merchandise.
  • maximizing ‘revenue per seat’ as opposed to just gate revenues
  • onsiderable mark-ups for Super Bowl tickets
  • willingness to spend thousands of dollars above face in some cases merely reflects the uniqueness of the event
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    The author describes inelastic demand taking the Super Bowl as an example of pricing in many other sports.
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    This article describes how many sports events try to keep their prices low, in order to maximize attendance and thereby complementary costs such as food and parking. However, the Superbowl tickets are very expensive, and increasing in price. This is because they want to earn more money purely on ticket sales, and they believe they can make more revenue because the high prices only show how special this event is, which means there is a high demand to meet the high prices.
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    This article describes how many sports events try to keep their prices low, in order to maximize attendance and thereby complementary costs such as food and parking. However, the Superbowl tickets are very expensive, and increasing in price. This is because they want to earn more money purely on ticket sales, and they believe they can make more revenue because the high prices only show how special this event is, which means there is a high demand to meet the high prices.
Marenne M

Ebola Brings West Africa Economic Development to Screeching Halt - 0 views

  • United Nations Development Program finds the Ebola epidemic is dramatically setting back prospects for economic development in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
  • impact of Ebola has caused a breakdown in trust between these governments and their people.
  • “For instance, Liberia is going to record its first negative growth trend in 2014, which we estimate to be something as high as minus 1.8 percent negative growth, which is very serious,"
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  • fragility of the countries' health systems, a lack of health care workers, and cultural practices that often accelerate the spread of Ebola.
  • Ebola crisis in West Africa has resulted in job losses, rising food prices, and agricultural disruption.
  • harp drops in the use of health and education services are likely to increase poverty, child and maternal mortality, and facilitate the spread of HIV/AIDS and malaria, particularly for the rural poor.
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    This article describes the impact of the Ebola virus on the economic development in Western Africa. The lack in health infrastructure has not only lead to negative economic growth, however it has also led to the decreased use of education and healthcare services, increased job losses, rising food prices, agricultural disruption, increased poverty, increased child and maternal mortality, and increased the spread of HIV/AIDS. The initially poor infrastructure in Western Africa has led to negative development.
Yassine G

BBC News - UK industrial output in surprise fall - 0 views

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    The article is talking about the overall decrease in output in the UK. According to the article, some industries have been responsible for this, such as the industries of electronics, food and beverages. This hence affected the overall economical situation in the country which also affected the levels of imports and exports. The interesting thing is that even though the production has fallen in the short run, in the long run it was doing okay this demonstrates how we shouldn't judge from the short run situation and that we should take a look the overall result from the long run 
Talisha R

Subsidising Farmers - 1 views

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    This article is about how farmers have been given subsidies. They have been given the subsidies so that they can do things like grow corn. However, there has been backlash as people feel that the subsidies are not going to a good cause, farmers are being given subsidies but there is no action being taken on food stamps which people are opposing. People are also arguing that ethanol subsidies which are used to make corn are bad for the environment, that is another reason why they are opposing the subsidy. Overall, this article focuses on the negative reaction of farmers being given subsidies.
Aleksi B

China set to test loans, subsidies to support farmers - Economic Times - 0 views

  • BEIJING: China is set to test using loans and subsidies to support farmers from next year
  • Reduced reliance on stockpiling, which has pushed domestic prices way above international markets, would be welcomed by local firms such as sugar and cotton mills that have had to shell out more for raw materials.
  • But in driving up domestic prices, the policy has fuelled a surge in cheaper imports, benefiting overseas suppliers rather than the local market.
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    This article tells us about how China will soon be experimenting granting farmers loans to help them in producing more food. With more farmers being able to borrow money they can turn that money into profit by harvesting and selling sugar, cotton, soy and corn
John B

Indonesia set to cut fuel subsidy - 0 views

  • Indonesia’s parliament has paved the way for a rise in gasoline and diesel prices after months of debate and political haggling.
  • The average 33% hike will reduce the government’s ballooning fuel subsidy which has been a major drain on resources.
  • The move will likely stoke inflation
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  • A proposed increase of 33% in fuel prices last year led to violent demonstrations around the country
  • Any increase in prices will lead to a short-term jump in inflation to between 7% and 8% from current levels of approximately 5% – a jump that economists say is a bitter pill but one the country has to swallow.
  • People have been expecting the price of fuel to go up,” said Ade, a street vendor in Jakarta. He sells fried rice to office goers in the business district to make a living. “So already the prices of all the basic food like rice and vegetables has gone up too. Also it is the beginning of the fasting month soon – and prices traditionally go up then too.”
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    In this article the problem about rising the fuel prices with about 33% is talked about. The reason to why the government has decided to do this is because it "will reduce the government's ballooning fuel subsidy which has been a major drain on resources". Instead, the new budget includes money to about 15 million families, most of them are poor.
Pietro AA

Gov't urged to abolish NFA monopoly | Inquirer Business - 1 views

  • “costly, impractical and discredited” rice self-sufficiency policy and has sought the abolition of the monopoly of the National Food Authority (NFA) on rice importation.
  • reforms in the country’s policy on rice procurement were necessary to “improve the welfare of consumers, to foster agricultural growth, to reduce graft and corruption and truly implement ‘Daang Matuwid’ (righteous path).”
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    I just read this incredibke article that has to do with many things in microecon. It talks aboup the rice industry in the philippines. More specifically, about the competition between the local producers and a monopoly that involves importation. It is an actual situation where you have Monopoly vs. perfect competition. You should read it!!!
Hyobin Lim

Russia's Currency Is Plummeting and Putin's Billionaires Are Cannibalizing Each Other - 2 views

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    The article concerns over the depreciation of the Ruble over the recent months that have passed. It was predicted that the Ruble would reach approximately 32.86 Rubles to the US dollar. However last month (November 1st to be exact), the Ruble reached a staggering 43 rubles to one US dollar. Being a 30 percent increase before the predicted depreciation. It has depreciated so suddenly and so quickly that the value is being measured, monitored, and shown by the minute rather than the day. Thus creating panic.
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    Despite the Russian Central Bank's spending of $40 billion over the last two months, the ruble has been significantly dropping for weeks. The price of 1 USD was 32.86 rubles in January, but is now 43 rubles, a drop of over 30%. Food prices in Russia have sky rocketed, dairy and meat costing over 10% more.
Haydn W

BBC News - US and EU 'make progress' in free trade area talks - 2 views

  • US and EU 'make progress' in free trade area talks
  • Officials from the United States and the European Union say they have made progress as they seek to sweep away trade barriers.
  • If successful an agreement would create the world's biggest free trade zone.
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  • They are trying to do that by eliminating tariffs (taxes on imported goods) and removing what Mr Mullaney called "non-tariff obstacles".
  • Mullaney said they have "progressed from discussing general approaches to the spadework of reviewing the many proposals that each side has put on the table."
  • The planned agreement is known as the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership or TTIP.
  • But while trade officials get on with detail, some of the general principles continue to generate vocal opposition.
  • Perhaps the most controversial area is the provision for foreign investors to go to an international tribunal for compensation if a government breaks the rules in a way that harms the company's interests.
  • he opposition to this idea has been taken up by the German government, so it remains uncertain whether it would appear in any final agreement.
  • Other critics are concerned that an agreement will drive down standards of consumer protection and food safety and will cost jobs.
  • They also complain that the texts that negotiators are working on are not made public.
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    Talks are taking place between the EU and the USA to create the worlds biggest free trade area. In many goods the US is seen to have an absolute advantage in producing many goods but they also rely on European countries to provide many components to US businesses. This trade deal, although opposed by Unions and other activitists is seen by many to be vastly beneficial to the two parties.
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