Thi Minh Thu Nguyen (p)

Special Economic Zones (SEZs) have emerged as vital catalysts for structural transformation worldwide in recent decades, yet how SEZs influence structural change in developing countries seems largely unveiled. This study examines the causal effects of SEZ establishments on structural changes in 708 districts across Vietnam from 1992 to 2020. We utilize satellite-based remote sensing data to resolve the unavailability of official data at a lower level of spatial hierarchy. Additionally, we apply the newly developed Difference-in-Differences with multiple time periods to measure the overall effect of the staggered treatment. Our findings indicate that SEZs promote industrial growth in Vietnamese districts. The establishment of SEZs leads to a decrease in agricultural land. Nevertheless, the agricultural production output in communities hosting SEZs shows a slight increase, indicating a possible improvement in agricultural productivity to compensate for the reduced land. From our findings, we suggest that a combination of SEZ policies with other supporting agricultural policies could enhance the effectiveness of SEZs in fostering structural changes and economic development, particularly in a developing country like Vietnam.

Emilien Veron (p)

The European ”Green Deal” sets a goal of 25% of land in organic agriculture by 2030, compared to currently 8.5%. However, the transition to organic agriculture is not encouraged because it does not generate additional income for farmers. This lack of monetary incentive slows the conversion dynamics of farmers in
France.
In order to solve this problem, we are looking to identify other sources of income allowed by organic farming. We are assuming here the existence of a ”premium” for organic farmland (organic land would be sold at higher prices than conventional land), allowing the farmer to realize a capital gain. The existence of this premium is justified as the payment for the relatively more numerous ecological services on conventional
land (reduction of erosion, improvement of soil water storage capacity, etc.). In this study, we compare the sales prices of 189,000 lands sold between 2017 and 2020 (16,349 of which are organic). The results, based on an OLS regression controlling for Ricardian rent and the determinants of residential rent, show that organic land is sold at a lower price than conventional land. To check the robustness of the effect, we perform two types of matching, the first based on a Propensity Score Matching and the second by minimising the
geographical distance. The results show that organic land is sold at a lower price (3% less, i.e. around 200€ per hectare) than the same conventional land. This can be explained by a spatial mismatch between the
supply and demand of organic land. If an organic farmer wants to buy farmland, he will have a conventional opportunity about 3km from his farm compared to 6.3km for an organic opportunity. This average difference
of 3km allows us to understand the non-difference in prices between the two types of land.

Intissar Seyagh (p), Aziz Bensbahou

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated energy access inequalities in Africa. To address these inequalities, innovative and sustainable public policies are needed to support the economic and social development of the continent. These policies should promote energy access and provide decent job opportunities for the population. In this context, this article analyses energy access inequalities in Africa, the role of innovative public policies to reduce poverty and inequalities, and how access to energy can create decent jobs for African populations. From an empirical point of view, a spatial econometric methodology on panel data was used to analyze energy consumption data and socio-economic indicators for 46 African countries were collected from the World Bank databases, and an econometric model was formulated to explain energy access. This model can help to understand the impacts of innovative public policies on energy access and poverty and inequality reduction in Africa in the era of COVID-19. The explained variable of this model is energy access, measured by the percentage of the African population that benefits from it. While the explanatory variables include GDP growth, final consumption expenditure of public administrations, employment/population ratio, primary school enrolment rate, poverty rate at 2.15 dollars per day and the Gini index. The results show that there is a strong heterogeneity between the different countries, with some having a very high electricity access rate and others having much lower rates. The majority of countries that fall into this category are located in Sub-Saharan Africa, where access to electricity is limited due to lack of infrastructure and lack of funding. In addition, the Hausman test shows that the fixed effects SDM model is the optimal model. In conclusion, this fixed effects SDM model can be used to analyze and predict electricity access (% of the population) from the studied explanatory variables. Based on these results, innovative public policies are needed to reduce energy access inequalities in Africa, which should also ensure that energy infrastructure is available for rural and poor communities, and that it is designed to be sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Mohd Shadab Danish (p)

Abstract

The study examines the influence of patent attributes on patent citation frequency using 6777 patents granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office to Indian assignees from 1985 to 2015. It finds that patents from developed countries and those with US-origin prime inventors have a positive impact on citation frequency, while the impact is negative if the prime inventor is from India. Other factors affecting citation frequency include citation lag, grant lag, technological variability, claims, and family size. The results of this study have important policy implications, as they highlight the importance of considering the priority country and inventor origin when evaluating the technological value of a patent.
Keywords: Patent citation; USPTO; Priority country; Technological value