Efstratios Loizou

Investigating the drivers that influence the adoption of differentiated food products

Purpose – Over the last years, food safety, health, environmental and societal issues are a few among many other reasons that force people to adopt new differentiated food products. This interesting shift of the consumption pattern from conventional food products to new differentiated products that incorporate innovative features, consist the main reasoning of the present study. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the drivers that influence the adoption of those differentiated food products and shed new light on consumers behavior, by modeling and understanding better their attitude.Design/methodology/approach – A two‐step cluster analysis was employed to explore the different levels of differentiated products adoption and a categorical regression model was estimated to explain this variation. Data were collected through a survey addressing 500 consumers, carried out in 2009 in a typical Greek urban area.Findings – From the three different food product categories (organic, functional and genetica...

Local Cooperation: A Dynamic Force for Endogenous Rural Development

The main objective of this study is to indicate that many times rural development is achievable endogenously through local forces. It is believed that a direct relationship exists between local cooperation and local forces in rural communities, allowing them to become a mechanism for endogenous development. The examination of local cooperation as a mechanism for endogenous development is important and thus, after a review of theoretical works related to local cooperation and endogenous development, the study presents an analysis derived from a case study, performed in a typical peripheral rural area in northwest Greece. Especially, after the recent spectacular shift of the global financial status, the existence of a local cooperation framework attracts the interest of the analysts as it can shed new light on endogenous development and on modeling and understanding better the long-term behavior of rural residents. Thus, this study examines the willingness of the local society to accept and support a local factor such as an investment proposal of the local union of agricultural cooperatives, by revealing the foremost reasons thereof. Both descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis were employed. Two-step cluster analysis was used to explore the different levels of local factor’s adoption and a binomial logit model was estimated to determine the relation between social characteristics and willingness to adopt endogenous development.

Exploring Treated Wastewater Issues Related to Agriculture in Europe, Employing a Quantitative SWOT Analysis☆

Abstract SuWaNu is a research project funded within the EU Commission FP7 framework where one of the objectives is to identify impediments and factors of success for sustainable water treatment and nutrient reuse options. For this purpose several European regional clusters have been framed (in Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Malta and Spain) while, through a quantitative SWOT analysis, have been identified and quantified the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the treated wastewater sector focusing on the economical regional aspects, on research innovation potential and on market exploitation and penetration. The analysis of the contributions of the different clusters included in the SuWaNu project has provided a detailed description of the reclaimed water sector in the European agriculture. After the analysis of more than 200 strengths, opportunities, weaknesses and threats provided by the partners of the project, this study includes a complete description of the use of reclaimed water in the European agriculture. These findings have been used as the fundamental cognition for the development of a joint action plan and several other business plans in the selected regions. A brief discussion on empirical modelling and results, especially regarding the Greek case study, is shown in this paper. A more detailed discussion can be found in the SuWaNu project report, available through the website (http://www.suwanu.eu).

Rural Development Through Input–Output Modeling

Input–output (I-O) models developed in the late 1930s and ever since have been applied extensively. Though the contribution of I-O models in depicting economic transactions was recognized early on, computational constraints have limited their use. This is mainly because of huge data requirements, difficulties in computational handling, and lack of software developed and adjusted for I-O analysis. Today, I-O analysis can be applied extensively in regional and local economies and can provide valuable information on growth and investment priorities, sectoral interrelationships, and policy impacts. I-O analysis has been employed in research on both agriculture and rural development to evaluate the importance of agricultural activities, the interdependence among agriculture and the rest of the economy, the intensity of the rate of growth, and the impacts of policy interventions.

Linkages of the energy sector in the Greek economy: an input-output approach

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reveal the dynamics of the Greek energy sector. As energy sectors contribute substantially to a national economy and stimulate national output and employment, it is important to identify their upward and downward linkages and interrelations with the other sectors of the economy. Design/methodology/approach To do this and capture such relations in the economy, a general equilibrium model is used. In specific, input–output (I–O) analysis is used and a model is specifically built for the Greek economy to examine in detail the energy sectors. Multiplier and linkage analysis is performed to assess their dynamics in terms of output, household income and employment. Findings Results indicate that the three energy sectors’ multipliers and elasticities, though are not ranking in the first places, are enough high indicating their strong linkages in the economy and their potentials to enhance the economy’s total output, employment and household income. Research limitations/implications Further disaggregation of the economy’s energy sectors is needed to make clearer the separation among renewable and non-renewable sector, to identify and compare the dynamics and contribution of each category in the economy. Additionally, an environmental I–O model would indicate consequences on the environment and not just pure economic benefits. Practical implications Through the analysis, it can be seen that energy sectors and secondary energy products have the ability to drive a country’s economic activity through exports and intersectoral linkages, even if it is not a crude petroleum producing economy. Thus, knowledge of the economic impacts of such sectors is a valuable information. Originality/value The current study provides significant information of an economy’s energy sectors regarding their ability to support economic activity and employment. A general equilibrium model is used, examining the whole economy, to assess direct and indirect interrelationships.

Agriculture’s Role in Economic Growth: An Exploratory Study Among Southern and Northern EU Countries

The role of agriculture in economic growth is an issue that still attracts the interest of scholars and particularly now when the whole growth approach is reexamined and reevaluated. The main objective of the current paper is to identify the causal relationship that exists between agricultural value added per worker and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in the European Union. The differences and similarities in relation to the role of agriculture in economic growth are examined among Southern and Northern EU countries. Recent methods of linear co-integration and the Granger causality test are used to examine short-run and long-run relationships and the role of agricultural value added in economic growth, as well as the direction of causality. The bi-directional relationship between agricultural value added and economic growth is of crucial importance since it can facilitate successful economic policies. The results provide evidence that agriculture can lead to growth in several EU countries, play stabilizer role and be an engine of growth in this period of economic crisis.

The Lean Years: Private Investment in the Greek Rural Areas☆

Abstract From 2008 until today, the Greek economy is facing a deep recession. The consequences of the financial crisis and the implementation of harsh fiscal measures adopted are the shrinking of incomes, the reduction of domestic demand and consumption and the massive increase of unemployment. At the same time, a significant reduction of the productive activity and a decrease in state and enterprise investments took place; all the above in a period when the main challenge is the countrys recovery and financial growth. The only way out of the lack of liquidity are EU financial resources, the utilization of the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) 2007-2013 and the resources following the programming period 2014-2020. In this context, despite the relatively high interest they present, private investments in primary sector and in rural areas, are facing significant problems. A research conducted with structured questionnaire to investors enrolled to investment support programmes in rural areas, had as a key goal to depict the potential completion of those investments. From the results of this research it is demonstrated that a significant percentage of approved investments are experiencing severe liquidity problems and in many cases there is a failure to complete them.