Call for Papers

The editors of the "German Journal of Agricultural Economics" (Agrarwirtschaft) in cooperation with the Leibniz-Institute of Agricultural Development in Central and Eastern Europe (IAMO) are planning the publication of a special issue: 20 Years of Transition in the Agri-Food Sector – Analyses of Trade, Markets and Policy

Background

Twenty years ago, the division of Europe into “East” and “West” was overcome. Needless to say, in former times large differences between the “plan economy” of the East and the “market economy” of the West existed. On the one hand, convergence in many economic and societal fields is now evident; on the other hand, major differences still exist today. Additionally, even in the new European member states, societal, political, and economic transition is not yet finished. Some of the changes and adjustments are still taking place and their respective implications are not even sufficiently understood.

In this special issue, the development of the agricultural and food sectors in Central and East European countries, with particular emphasis placed on changes caused by transition, will be addressed. The reorganization of the agricultural and food sectors has required institutional and national economic reforms, liberalization of the markets, and adaptations at an individual operational level. Besides overview articles that address the various interactions of these aspects, we are seeking articles that draw economic, agricultural, and policy conclusions regarding the agri-food sector. In this context, we invite articles on the following three topics:

Topics

Trade

• Analyses of welfare gains / loses
• Effects of liberalisation, globalisation, and integration
• Imports versus foreign direct investments
• International competitiveness (i.e., comparative advantages)

Markets

• Changes in consumer behaviour and consumer markets
• Functioning of markets, including factor markets (i.e., pricing behaviour, quality, market power)
• Vertical coordination in the agri-food business
• Governance of agri-food supply chains
• Integration of smallholders in the high-value chains
• Shareholder power and competition

Policy

• 1st & 2nd pillar of CAP
• Institutions (i.e., property rights, agricultural administration including public institutions providing access to information),
• Social capital
• Policy recommendations for semi-subsistence farm development
• IPA

Both empirical and methodological papers are highly welcomed. While articles are not restricted to these three, priority will be given to these areas. Furthermore, we encourage the submission of joint publications of authors from transition and non-transition countries.

Contributions

Authors who would like to contribute to this issue are requested to send a full paper in English or German via email to specialissue(at)iamo.de (Mrs. Gabriele Mewes). Manuscripts should have approximately 25 pages, Times New Roman, 12 pt, spacing 1.5. The detailed requirements regarding the manuscript style are described in Instructions for Authors (pdf).

The deadline for the submission of articles is May 1st, 2009. Submitted papers should not have been published nor be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. The papers will be refereed to the standards of the Journal “ Agrarwirtschaft”. The authors will be informed about the outcome of the peer-review procedure by mid June 2009. The special issue will be published at the end of 2009 (volume 58).

Special Issue Guest Editor

The guest editor of this special issue is the Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Central and Eastern Europe (IAMO). The editorial team consists of Gertrud Buchenrieder, Jon H. Hanf, and Agata Pieniadz.

Please send contributions to

Gabriele Mewes
Leibniz-Institut for Agricultural Development in Central and Eastern Europe
Theodor-Lieser-Str. 2
06120 Halle (Saale)
specialissue[at]iamo.de

Phone:    +49-345-2928-110
Fax:    +49-345-2928-199