Asia-Pacific Development Journal - Volume 16, Issue 2, 2012

The acquisition of land from landowning communities for the purpose of expanding industry has been a part of economic strategy in many developing countries in the past decade. The lack of a structured negotiation framework to ensure equity and transparency in the process of acquisition has been an important issue in many of these countries, particularly India. Among the core issues are the lack of a well defined process framework, authorized regulatory and statutory entities to participate and oversee the process, and transparent mechanisms for calculating and communicating offers and valuations between the buyer and the seller communities. There is a need to explore alternative negotiation frameworks and models for calculation and valuation of bids and asks which can ensure an adequate level of equity and transparency. The models must ensure that the compensation packages cover certain basic needs of the small and medium farmers for whom loss of land is also loss of livelihood. In this paper, we propose a framework for land acquisition negotiations in which mathematical models for the buyer generate price offers not only for land but also wage and other compensations. We also present utility-based models and a rule base for the seller to evaluate the offer, and mechanisms for the seller’s responses to be communicated via intermediaries to the buyer in cycles of negotiation. Using simulated data representative of the agricultural land scenario in India, we explore ways in which the models and the framework could be used to support diverse and realistic land acquisition situations. Software for the implementation of the mathematical models and rule engine for evaluation of the bid-ask process described in this paper have been developed by the authors. The software can be customized for specific applications.

The article gives inside into tax system of Uzbekistan, a former Soviet republic. It analyses major tax reforms in the country since the early days of its independence (1991) with special attention given to the simplified method of taxation, used for micro-firms and small businesses (MSEs). The results of 30 in-depths interviews with representatives of MSEs revealed substantial reductions in tax rates (the average tax burden is 14.9 per cent) and overall improvements in the business environment. However, despite the numerous changes in Uzbek taxation, the issues related to tax administration (tax audits, reporting and competence of tax inspectors) make it difficult to operate in Uzbekistan without breaking rules. To be effective and successful, tax reform needs to be accompanied by institutional and structural reform throughout the economy.

Geographical indications (GIs) associate names and places or production areas with products. They are distinctive signs that permit the identification of products on the market. GIs make it possible to add value to the natural riches of a country and to the skills of the population, and they give local products a distinguishable identity. If they are used in the proper way and are well protected, they can become an effective marketing tool of great economic value. The Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement), which has more than 130 signatories, is the first international treaty to protect GIs through substantive provisions. In it, however, a clear distinction is made between the level of protection provided to wines and spirits and that provided to other products. Many countries, therefore, are actively working within the World Trade Organization to extend the existing protection that the Agreement grants to GIs for wines and spirits to GIs for all products. This paper is an attempt to analyse the issues relating to the scope extension of GIs under the TRIPS Agreement, especially with regard to South Asian countries. The paper argues that South Asian countries should equip their international property rights regimes to effectively protect the reputation of their geographical indications and their intrinsic qualities. In addition to the benefit of economies of scale, this would offer their products new opportunities in a competitive global market.

This paper measures the impacts of cash crops on household consumption expenditure and poverty in rural Viet Nam using data from the Viet Nam household living standards surveys (VHLSSs) of 2002 and 2004. It has been found that revenues from cash crops have positive and statistically significant impacts on per capita expenditure. More specifically, an increase of 1 Viet Nam dong (VND) in rice revenues leads to an increase of 0.019 VND in per capita expenditure, and the corresponding figures for revenues from annual crops, perennial crops and fruits are 0.038, 0.040 and 0.036, respectively. As a result, crop sales have positive and statistically significant impacts on poverty reduction for crop-growing households and the rural population. The poverty-reducing impacts are found to be positive for all three Foster-Greer-Thorbecke poverty measures.

Saemaul Undong was a community-based integrated rural development programme of the Republic of Korea in the 1970s which contributed to narrowing the developmental gap between urban cities and rural communities over a decade. Its success can be attributed to its implementation of basic strategies of poverty reduction adapting to and making use of the Korean contexts—promoting opportunities and facilitating empowerment for rural people. Forty years ago, the people who designed and implemented Saemaul Undong did not have a clear understanding of the concepts and vocabularies that are broadly used in development today. What they promoted, achieved and implemented, however, was not different from the goals, objectives and methodologies that development practitioners promote today. The most important lesson learned from Saemaul Undong are that it devised appropriate strategies and measures reflecting and making use of the specific political, economic and social contexts. Developing countries should carefully study their own situation and devise workable and practical solutions of their own.

Poverty is one of the most serious challenges confronting paddy farmers worldwide, including those in Malaysia. Off-farm employment is an alternative strategy and has the potential to improve the income and well-being of the paddy farmers. This study assesses the off-farm employment decision among 500 paddy farmers in the Muda Agricultural Development Authority and Kemasin Semerak granary areas. Specifically, the study determines the relationship between the determinants of offfarm employment and the off-farm participation decision using descriptive analysis and logit regression methods. The results reveal that the farmers’ age, gender and number of dependants, as well as other income and the type of farm were the variables that influenced their likelihood to engage in off-farm employment. Evidently, the variables of farm size and level of education were insignificant in affecting off-farm participation.