Ikerne Del Valle Erkiaga (p)

Prescott C. Ensign

The aim of this paper is to explore the interplay among coastal community typology (CCT), distinguishing among fishing (FC) and non-fishing coastal communities (nFC), geographical location (GEO) and the fact of being within the commuting zone of a densely city (FUA), so as to assess whether they interact to explain key individual dependent variables related to demography, including population variation (VPOP), AGING and DEPENDENCE; and tourism, namely the number of tourist apartments (TA), places in tourist apartments (PTA) and total tourists (TOUR). Since our primary concern is the effect of coastal fishing community typology, CCT will be the focal variable in the analysis. Nevertheless, we presume that any of the above-mentioned dependent variables may also be influenced by GEO and FUA (the two moderator variables) and by the interaction among the three factors (CCT:GEO:FUA). Methodologically, the basic one-way ANOVA that splits the target population in FC and nFC, will be followed by a three-way ANOVA design so as to verify whether there is a statistically significant difference between the means of different groups that have been
split on CCT, GEO, and FUA.

Ricardo Firetti (p), Patricia Turco, Marcelo Ribeiro, Ferenc Bánkut, Sheila Garcia

Ikerne Del Valle Erkiaga

Fish farming production increases every year in Brazil (50% in the decade) at the same time that the supply chain and product offering to consumers also expands. We are currently the fourth largest producer of Tilapia in the world. Although it represents little in the agricultural economy of this country (1%), fish farming adds value in the form of animal protein in places with great availability of water in rivers and hydroelectric dams. The production of these fish is distributed throughout the Brazil and far from medium and large cities. Brazilian fish farming, like agriculture and livestock farming, is concentrated in clusters of well-defined cities (agricultural clusters). This local specialization is associated with a structuring of the supply chain, processing, distribution, cooperation, interaction and innovation. Thus, this work evaluates the participation and relative importance of fish farming in the economy of rural places in Brazil. We used the locational quotient-LQ (≥2.0) as an indicator to measure the participation and specialization of 15 main rural fish-producing places out of 138 that exist. The sampled places correspond to 54% of the values generated by fish farming. The variables used in the calculation ('value of fish farming production' and 'gross value added at current agricultural prices') were obtained from secondary databases from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) for the year 2021. The results with locational quotient of rural places and other economic indicators were grouped using the multivariate Block Clustering technique in the STATISTICA 14 software. Among the 15 rural places analyzed, 9 of them presented a locational quotient ≥2.0, with emphasis on 'São Francisco Pernambucano' (LQ= 14,19) located in the Northeast region and with low social and economic indexes. In the rural places of ‘Norte Maranhense’ (7.90), ‘Leste Rondoniense’ (6.65) and ‘Oriental do Tocantins’ (2.45) located in the Amazon biome also have low development rates. Another 06 rural places didn’t present a significant LQ because they are very large producers of agriculture and livestock (corn, soybeans, cotton, sugar cane and beef). The Block Clustering type grouping showed that there is an inversely proportional relationship between GDP and 'agricultural added value' in relation to LQ, confirming the participation of fish farming in the economic growth of rural places. Only two rural places are the exception to this rule and formed an isolated cluster, because they are the main producers of fish farming in Brazil in more developed locations.

Antonio Bubbico (p)

Ricardo Firetti

The European Union's agriculture sector stands at a crossroads, facing the dual challenge of ensuring economic stability for its farmers and adapting to modern sustainable practices. This paper examines the pathways towards a just transition in the EU's agriculture sector, underpinned by the need to balance income guarantees for farmers with the imperative of modernizing farm management to meet contemporary challenges. It explores the role of EU policies in facilitating this transition, drawing on examples of policy frameworks and initiatives that support both the economic and environmental sustainability of farming practices.

The analysis begins by assessing the current landscape of agricultural practices within the EU, highlighting the economic pressures faced by farmers and the environmental impacts of traditional farming methods. It then delves into the concept of a just transition, emphasizing the importance of equitable policies that do not leave farmers behind in the shift towards sustainable agriculture. The paper reviews various EU policies and programmes designed to support farmers through this transition, including financial incentives, educational programs, and technological innovations aimed at improving farm management and productivity.

Further, it discusses the challenges and opportunities associated with implementing these policies at both the EU and member state levels, including the need for coordination among various stakeholders, the role of innovation in sustainable farming, and the potential for new market opportunities that align with green practices.

Finally, the paper argues that a just transition in agriculture is not only necessary for the environmental sustainability of the sector but also crucial for the economic resilience of the EU's rural communities. It calls for continued commitment from EU policymakers, farmers, and other stakeholders to collaboratively develop and implement strategies that ensure a sustainable and prosperous future for European agriculture.

Leonardo Ridolfi (p)

Antonio Bubbico

The “Little Divergence” in real wages between Northwestern and Southern Europe is one the most prominent features in the evolution of living standards over the pre-industrial period (Allen 2001). While the concept of a Little Divergence is now a well-established “stylized fact” among many economic historians, its timing and pattern remain an open challenge (Allen 2003; 2009; De Pleijt, and Van Zanden 2016). One key feature of the debate is that comparisons of living standards are overwhelmingly urban based as they are on samples of leading European cities (Allen 2001; Ridolfi 2019). The experience of individual cities, however, is potentially unrepresentative of national trends in living standards.
This study breaks new ground into the debate by providing new evidence on the evolution of living standards in urban and rural areas across a sample of Italian regions (including Tuscany, Veneto, Piedmont, Lombardy and Emilia) over an unprecedented long period of time covering the years from 1500 up to the Unification of the country. The first part of the study deals with the construction of new series of regional welfare ratios following Allen’s (2001) approach. In the second, the relationship between urban and rural living standards as well as the size and potential determinants of the rural-urban wage gap is analyzed from a regional perspective. The effect of institutional and demographic factors and their role in the integration/disintegration of labor markets is investigated.

References
Allen, R. C. (2001). The great divergence in European wages and prices from the Middle Ages to the First World War. Explorations in Economic History, 38(4), 411-447.
Allen, R. C. (2003). Progress and poverty in early modern Europe. The Economic History Review, 56(3), 403-443.
Allen, R.C. (2009). The British Industrial Revolution in Global Perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
De Pleijt, A. M., and Van Zanden, J. L. (2016). Accounting for the “Little Divergence”: What drove economic growth in pre-industrial Europe, 1300–1800?. European Review of Economic History, 20(4), 387-409.
Ridolfi, L. (2019). Six centuries of real wages in France from Louis IX to Napoleon III: 1250–1860. The Journal of Economic History, 79(3), 589-627.

Prescott C. Ensign (p)

Leonardo Ridolfi

What if communities in Canada’s sparsely populated areas were no longer served by shortline railways?

Prior to 1990 Canadian National (CN) Canadian Pacific (CP) railways owned and operated thousands of short distance branch lines across Canada that provided rural areas with freight transport to and from the mainlines. Changes in policy permitted the two mainline operators (CN and CP) to abandon or sell off unprofitable branch lines with no guarantee of continued service.

Although this change would benefit the mainlines (eliminating the cost of serving low density areas that required federal subsidies) it would create economic hardship for the rural areas served by the secondary lines. The very sustainability of communities was in peril with economic and social prosperity expected to decline.

Primarily motivated by survival, local communities, shipper cooperatives, and entrepreneurs formed new railways. These short line enterprises of all ilk developed business models that focused on serving low-density, rural areas with lower operating costs and greater flexibility.

This paper explores 18 of western Canada’s small independent railways – often operating on tracks with weight/speed restrictions. Such railways are often neglected in thinking about climate change solutions. “Rural communities care about highway damage from trucking. Federal grant funding programs are concerned with climate change resilience and emissions reduction in the transportation sector. In terms of short line railway infrastructure investment, we really would like to see environmental and sustainability considerations included.”

The president of the Railway Association of Canada stated “Prairie short line railways need better government support to remain viable, to provide critical first-mile, last-mile services that connect customers to Class 1 railways and global markets … Greater short line infrastructure would contribute to regional economic development, improve supply chain fluidity, lower costs for businesses, and enhance safety while lowering emissions and reducing the strain on public infrastructure.”

This paper argues that the significance of shortline railways should not be underestimated. Shortlines connect rural areas with regional, national, and international markets through linkages with mainline CN and CP railways. Each year shortline railways transport over a million carloads of natural resources, agricultural commodities and industrial products valued at CA$35 billion to market. Their footprint indicates the impact and importance they have for all of Canada and nine provinces in particular. More importantly, is the role of shortline railways in the survival of industries and rural communities at the end of the line so as not be left behind.