Recent Publications
Medicines and Vaccines for the World’s Poorest: Is there any Prospect for Public-Private Cooperation
Scheffler, R.M., and V. Pathania. “Medicines and Vaccines for the World’s Poorest: Is there any Prospect for Public-Private Cooperation?” Globalization and Health DOI: 10.1186/1744-8603-1-10 (July 2005).
This paper reviews the current status of the global pharmaceutical industry and its research and development focus in the context of the health care needs of the developing world. It will consider the attempts to improve access to critical drugs and vaccines, and increase the research effort directed at key public health priorities in the developing world. In particular, it will consider prospects for public-private collaboration. The challenges and opportunities in such public-private partnerships will be discussed briefly along with a look at factors that may be key to success. Much of the focus is on HIV/AIDS where the debate on the optimal balance between intellectual property rights (IPR) and human rights to life and health has been very public and emotive.
Vacunas y fármacos para las poblaciones más pobres del mundo: ¿existen perspectivas de cooperación p
Scheffler, R.M. “Vacunas y Fármacos Para Las Poblaciones Más Pobres Del Mundo: ¿Existen Perspectivas de Cooperación Pública y Privada?” Salud y Desarrollo: Retos para el siglo XXI Mocumbi, P.M., J. Camí, and J.M. Jansá, eds. Forum Barcelona 2004. (June 2005): 99-107.
Bt Cotton and Pesticide Use in Argentina: Economic and Environmental Effects
Qaim, Matin, and Alain de Janvry. 2005. "Bt Cotton and Pesticide Use in Argentina: Economic and Environmental Effects". Environment and Development Economics, 10: 179-200.
This article analyzes effects of insect-resistant Bt cotton on pesticide use and agricultural productivity in Argentina. Based on farm survey data, it is shown that the technology reduces application rates of toxic chemicals by 50 per cent, while significantly increasing yields. Using a damage control framework, the effectiveness of Bt versus chemical pesticides is estimated, and technological impacts are predicted for different farm types. Gross benefits could be highest for smallholder farmers, who are not currently using the technology. The durability of the advantages is analyzed by using biological models to simulate resistance development in pest populations. Rapid resistance buildup and associated pest outbreaks appear to be unlikely if minimum non-Bt refuge areas are maintained. Thus, promoting a more widespread diffusion of Bt cotton could amplify the efficiency, equity, and environmental gains. Conclusive statements about the technology’s sustainability, however, require longer-term monitoring of possible secondary effects and farmers’ behavior in maintaining refuges.
Will the Digital Revolution Revolutionize Development? Drawing Together the Debate
Bussell, Jennifer, Taylor Boas and Thad Dunning. Will the Digital Revolution Revolutionize Development? Drawing Together the Debate, in Studies in Comparative International Development, Vol. 40, No. 2, 2005.
This concluding article returns to the broad question that motivates this special issue of Studies in Comparative International Development: Will the Digital Revolution constitute a revolution in development? In addressing this issue, we explore a number of common themes emphasized by the different contributions: the future of the North-South divide, the role of the state in promoting digital development, the transferability and adaptability of specific information and communication technologies, the challenges and potential benefits of controlling digital information, and the developmental effects of digitally enabled communities. We argue that the Digital Revolution’s ultimate impact on development will depend on several key variables, including the extent to which these technologies foster within-country linkages among different sectors and socioeconomic classes; the degree to which new technological applications may be customized or transformed to advance local development; and the outcome of political contests between organized interests that are promoting different ways of organizing and governing the global digital economy. While it is difficult to fully assess a transformation while living in the midst of it, research on the social, political, and economic implications of the Digital Revolution will constitute an important agenda for development scholars in the years to come.
Risky Business: The Market for Unprotected Commercial Sex
(with P. Gertler and S. Bertozzi), Journal of Political Economy, June 2005, 113(3), 518-550.
The Dynamics Of Variable Fees: Exploring Institutional And Public Policy Responses
Variable fees at the graduate and undergraduate levels are a topic of discussion in the US and in the EU as part of a larger movement towards increasing the role of fees in the funding of public universities. This essay describes this relatively new shift and its causes, outlines various funding models related to fee levels, and discusses the possible policy implications of variable fee structures. Here we argue that much of the movement toward increased fees in places such as the US and the UK is being pursued incrementally, without an adequate discussion of the long-term implications either for students or for how universities fund academic programs.
Comparing Legal Factfinders: Real and Mock, Amateur and Professional
MacCoun, R. J. (2005). Comparing legal factfinders: Real and mock, amateur and professional. Florida State University Law Review, 32, 511-518.
Millionaires and Mental Health: Proposition 63 in California
Scheffler, R.M., and N. Adams. “Millionaires and Mental Health: Proposition 63 in California.” Health Affairs web exclusive (May 2005): W5-212-24.
In November 2004 California passed Proposition 63, a landmark piece of mental health and fiscal legislation. This initiative places a 1 percent tax on adjusted gross income over $1 million, affecting about 30,000 taxpayers and raising $1.8 billion (a 31 percent increase) in new revenues over the first three years to support county-operated mental health systems. Our analysis suggests that Proposition 63 passed with strong support from Democrats, urban dwellers, and social workers and in counties with high rates of homelessness. Proposition 63 faces challenges in implementation and provides unprecedented opportunities for transformation and change.