140237 VO+UE International Agricultural Commodity Markets (2008W)
Continuous assessment of course work
Labels
pünktlicher Beginn!
Registration/Deregistration
Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).
- Registration is open from Mo 22.09.2008 10:00 to Th 02.10.2008 23:59
- Deregistration possible until Su 05.10.2008 23:59
Details
max. 25 participants
Language: English
Lecturers
Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N
Wednesday
08.10.
19:00 - 20:35
Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 2 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-06
Wednesday
15.10.
19:00 - 20:35
Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 2 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-06
Wednesday
22.10.
19:00 - 20:35
Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 2 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-06
Wednesday
29.10.
19:00 - 20:35
Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 2 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-06
Wednesday
05.11.
19:00 - 20:35
Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 2 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-06
Wednesday
12.11.
19:00 - 20:35
Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 2 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-06
Wednesday
19.11.
19:00 - 20:35
Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 2 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-06
Wednesday
26.11.
19:00 - 20:35
Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 2 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-06
Wednesday
03.12.
19:00 - 20:35
Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 2 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-06
Wednesday
10.12.
19:00 - 20:35
Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 2 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-06
Wednesday
17.12.
19:00 - 20:35
Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 2 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-06
Wednesday
07.01.
19:00 - 20:35
Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 2 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-06
Wednesday
14.01.
19:00 - 20:35
Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 2 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-06
Wednesday
21.01.
19:00 - 20:35
Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 2 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-06
Wednesday
28.01.
19:00 - 20:35
Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 2 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-06
Information
Aims, contents and method of the course
The course will begin by highlighting the general nature of agricultural commodity markets. This would include examining the biological nature of agricultural commodities such as perishability, seasonality in supply and demand, weather dependence and susceptibility to diseases. Other aspects would include explaining why commodity markets exhibit oligopolistic supply and demand structural patterns. A discussion of how production and trade are organized would be discussed. This would take account of the main actors, i.e., the firm and non-firm actors.The nature of price discovery would be highlighted. Attention would be drawn to the underlying causes of short-run volatility and long term secular decline in prices. The role of hedging and speculation on price discovery as well as the main price risk instruments such as futures and options would be highlighted. This would be complemented by a discussion of commodities futures exchanges as well as the characteristics and influence of their participants.A reflection on local, national, regional and international commodity policies/agreements/regulations would be provided. This would include reasons for their existence as well as their economic and environmental effects. Institutions at the national level such as marketing boards/co-operatives, at the regional and international levels such as the EU, World Bank, IMF, WTO and international commodity organizations would be discussed. The policies of these institutions towards commodity development would be highlighted.Two commodity examples namely cocoa and sugar would be analysed based on the above framework and their relevance to the developing producing countries-more especially, as a source of income for the numerous small farmers/producers and the governments.
Assessment and permitted materials
Course assessment will be in the form of thesis evaluation.
Minimum requirements and assessment criteria
The course has been designed with two objectives in mind: First is the emphasis on developing a sound understanding of agricultural commodity markets. Second, is the practical application of the acquired knowledge in analyzing two predominantly developing country products-cocoa and sugar.
Examination topics
The course is divided into two parts. Part 1 is a wholly taught component with an evaluation in the form of a written examination at the end of the semester, i.e., in January. Part 2 is a supervised thesis of around 20 pages to be delivered at the end of February. The thesis provides candidates with the opportunity to critically review, and produce a contribution to the literature in any area of agricultural commodity markets.
Reading list
Borrell, Brent and Duncan, Ronald C. (1992) A Survey of the Costs of World Sugar Policies, World Bank Research Observer 7: 171-94, Washington D.C.Cheung, C. Morin, S. (2007) The Impact of Emerging Asia on Commodity Prices, Bank of Canada, Working Papers, 2007, Ottawa.Deaton, Angus and Miller, R. (1996) International Commodity Prices, Macroeconomic Performance and Politics in Sub-Saharan Africa, Journal of African Economies 5:99-191.Elobeid, A. and Beghin, John C. (2004) Multilateral Trade and Agricultural Policy Reforms in Sugar Markets, Staff General Research Papers, Department of Economics, Iowa State University, Ames.Fold, Niels (2001) Restructuring of the European Chocolate Industry and its Impact on Cocoa Production in West Africa, Journal of Economic Geography 1: 405-20.Grynberg, R. Newton, S. eds. Commodity Prices and Development, Oxford University Press, Oxford and New York: 2007; xiii, 351.Hafi, A., Connell, P. and Roberts, I. (1994) US Sugar Policies: Market and Welfare Effects, Australian Commodities 1: 484-500.Jumah, A. (1986) The International Cocoa Market and Forecaststs of the Demand for EC-Countries, Schriftenreihe Nr. 44, Bundesanstalt für Agrarwirtschaft, Wien.Kazianga, H. and Masters, William A. (2006) Property Rights, Production Technology, and Deforestation: Cocoa in Cameroon, Agricultural Economics 35: 19-26.Larson, D.F. and Borrell, B. (2001) Sugar Policy and Reform, The World Bank, Policy Research Working Paper Series: 2602, Washington. D.C.Morgan, C.W. (2000) Commodity Futures Markets in LDCs: A Review and Prospects, CREDIT Research Paper No. 00/10, Centre for Research in Economic Development and International Trade, University of Nottingham.Neilson, J. (2007) Global Markets, Farmers and the State: Sustaining Profits in the Indonesian Cocoa Sector, Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies 43: 227-50.Page, Sheila and Hewitt, A. (2001) World Commodity Prices: Still a Problem for Developing countries? Overseas Development Institute, London.Ponte, S. (2002) "The Latte Revolution"? Regulation, Markets and Consumption in the Global Coffee Chain, World Development 30: 1099-1122.Talbot, John (2002) Tropical Commodity Chains, Forward Integration Strategies and International Inequality: Coffee, Cocoa and Tea, Review of International Political Economy 9:701-34.Wood, A. (2007) Review of Natural Resources and Economic Development, Journal of Economic Literature 45: 201-04.
Association in the course directory
T III
Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:34