Structural transformation is a process by which the relative contribution of nonagricultural sectors to the overall economy rises as agriculture’s share declines in relative terms. In absolute terms, however, agriculture continues to grow and contribute to overall economic growth. Agricultural productivity growth and increased farm incomes are prerequisites for structural transformation. Increa...

We use the rollout of a large-scale land certification program in Mexico from 1993 to 2006 to study how rural reforms establishing secure property rights determine patterns of migration, relocation of economic activity, and structural transformation. We find that certification leads higher-skilled agricultural labor to migrate, leaving behind economies less concentrated in agriculture, and with...

The transformation of umbilical cord blood from being a waste product to being a valuable source of stem cells has led to the emergence of significant legal, ethical and social issues. This editorial proposes an agenda for research into the regulation of umbilical cord blood banking which focuses on issues of characterisation, consent, the interplay of public and private services, and the impor...

The most important public health priority in agricultural policy-making is currently food safety, despite the relatively higher importance of food security, nutrition, and other agricultural-related health issues in terms of global burden of disease. There is limited experience worldwide of using health impact assessment (HIA) during the development of agriculture and food policies, which perha...

Both economic theory and modern economic history show that productivity growth in non-agricultural sectors has consistently outweighed that of the agricultural sector. Thus, as development progresses, employment, which had been centered around the agricultural sector, becomes more and more dependent on the industrial and services sectors. This relationship between economic growth, and the move ...

This paper examines the structures of information transfer to the agricultural (production) and agro-alimentary (transformation and commercialization of the products) sector within Spain. A historical perspective is provided to better illustrate the reality and complexity of Spain with regard to the systems of agrarian extension, agricultural research, resources provided by Spain’s central admi...

Agricultural research has transformed agriculture and in doing so contributed to the transformation of economies. Economic issues arise because agricultural research is subject to various market fail­ ures, because the resulting innovations and technological changes have important economic consequences for net income and its distri­ bution, and because the consequences are difficult to discern ...

As part of Ontario’s ambitious health transformation agenda, 14 Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) were created with the responsibility to plan, fund and integrate local healthcare services. As a result, LHINs are key stakeholders and play a critical role in the future of the province’s Wait Time Information System (WTIS). As members of the WTIS project Steering Committee, these LHIN Lea...