Economic Benefits of Research Cooperation: The Case of the Regional Maize Program for Central America and the Caribbean
Gomez, Miguel Ignacio
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/83045
Description
Title
Economic Benefits of Research Cooperation: The Case of the Regional Maize Program for Central America and the Caribbean
Author(s)
Gomez, Miguel Ignacio
Issue Date
1999
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Laurian J. Unnevehr
Department of Study
Agricultural Economics
Discipline
Agricultural Economics
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Economics, Agricultural
Language
eng
Abstract
Public investment in agricultural research in developing countries has decreased in recent years challenging policy-makers to find strategies for using research funds more efficiently. Efficiency will determine which research institutions will survive. Technology spillovers are a key factor to the measurement of research efficiency because globalization of agricultural research has increased their prevalence. An untested hypothesis is that spillovers reduce the efficiency of National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) in small countries and increase the efficiency of research cooperation among countries. This dissertation is the first to directly measure the efficiency of regional research cooperation among small developing countries. The benefits of collaborative maize breeding research initiative in Central America and the Caribbean: the Regional Maize Program (PRM). The dissertation addresses two questions in developing countries' agriculture: (1) are there incentives for governments to cooperate in agricultural research? (2) What are the sources and magnitudes of research spillovers? Thus, a classification of commercial maize germplasm is elaborated, considering which institution(s) produced the basic populations, carried out the breeding process, adaptive research, and screening. A database on experimental yields is assembled and used in combination with data on adoption to examine three empirical issues. First, a matrix of potential spillovers is estimated. Next, an analysis of realized research impacts identifies the incidence of spillovers. Finally, a cost-benefit analysis evaluates public maize breeding research in the region, shows the role of PRM investments in the region, and assesses the magnitude of spillovers in CAC. Although NARSs research has had high payoffs, ignoring technology spillovers inflates considerably research benefits coming. from public maize breeding research. One-third of research impacts come from local NARSs, leaving the rest to spillins. PRM is the largest contributor of spillovers among all institutions and its impacts are more important in food-maize countries. The research network has improved research's financial efficiency relative to NARSs own-research. Nevertheless, not all participants have received the same benefits relative to their contribution to PRM. Finally, the findings support the hypothesis that CAC countries have exploited the advantages of specialization and economies of scale in research by participating in the PRM.
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