Cecilia Alexandri - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Cecilia Alexandri

IGI Global eBooks, 2020

The present research work applied a food diversity measurement tool (Transformed Berry Index) on ... more The present research work applied a food diversity measurement tool (Transformed Berry Index) on the 2011 Household Budget Surveys data. The investigation was performed on household purchased based TBI measure and on actual consumption TBI, in order to highlight the errors that one would make if one fails to take into account the production of goods by the household. There are some important differences in the food diversity of the actual food consumption in comparison to the purchased food quantities, the number of food items being higher in the case of actual consumption. However, food diversity does not seem to be influenced by the residence area (urban vs. rural) in any of the two approaches.

Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, 2017

This paper analyzes the prices and price volatility for beef and pigmeat in Romania and compares ... more This paper analyzes the prices and price volatility for beef and pigmeat in Romania and compares them with international prices and price volatility. GARCH type processes are used to estimate price volatility. The empirical results indicate that the growth trend in pigmeat prices, in Romania and globally, is accompanied by high volatility throughout the period with significant increases in 2008, 2010 and 2014 for Romania and 2007–2008, 2012 and 2014 for world prices. Beef prices on both markets show a steady upward trend until 2015 and a high volatility during the global economic crisis, only to fall sharply afterwards. After 2015, beef prices experienced a significant decrease and a slightly increased volatility worldwide. Generally, the increased price volatility periods can be associated with significant increases in the corresponding prices or other global events (financial crisis, food price crises).

In Romania, the tendencies in the consumption of main food products reveal the orientation toward... more In Romania, the tendencies in the consumption of main food products reveal the orientation towards the Western Europe food consumption pattern. The differences between the urban and the rural areas are maintained, with a higher consumption in the urban area. The analysis of purchased and consumed quantities for five important groups of productsbread, meat, milk, fruit and vegetableshighlights the characteristic of food consumption in Romania: the relatively low share of purchased food in total consumption in certain products (vegetables, milk and meat). The evolution of the food purchases in the last decade, analyzed in conjunction with the estimated expenditure elasticities and price elasticities, suggests that the increase of cash incomes can accelerate the shift to a Western type of consumption pattern.

Banat's University of Agronomical Sciences and Veterinary Medicine International Scientific Symposium, Timisoara, Romania, 14-15 May 2009., 2009

ABSTRACT The aim of the present paper is to investigate the impact of financial allocations from ... more ABSTRACT The aim of the present paper is to investigate the impact of financial allocations from national funds in the pre-accession period and in the first two years after the accession, through the evaluation of the effects of the measures of the state aid type upon the agricultural production growth, food self-sufficiency and agricultural inputs use. On the basis of these analyses and farmers’ opinions on the support that has been received, two scenarios were formulated with regard to the utilization of financial allocations in 2009.

Sciendo eBooks, Dec 15, 2022

”30 Years of Inspiring Academic Economic Research – From the Transition to Market Economy to the Interlinked Crises of 21st Century”

Covid-19 crisis has brought to attention the vulnerabilities of the Romanian agri-food sector. So... more Covid-19 crisis has brought to attention the vulnerabilities of the Romanian agri-food sector. Some of these vulnerabilities are not easy to solve, but intervention measures should be used first to support medium-and long-term targets. On the short term, the effects of Covid-19 crisis on the Romanian agri-food sector have been reasonably managed, in line with the European Commission recommendations and using the measures proposed and/or adopted by the Commission. The analysis of these reveals the complexity of actions undertaken by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, by complying with the single European framework and adapting to the Romanian agriculture specificity. Although the European funds additional to those already allocated for the period 2014-2020 are relatively small, the flexibility in their utilization, mainly in the case of rural development funds, may prove to be important for Romania.

Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, 2020

SRPN: Food Production (Topic), 2017

Meat production is crucial for reaching the self-sufficiency targets for the important agricultur... more Meat production is crucial for reaching the self-sufficiency targets for the important agricultural products from the perspective of Romania’s food security, as defined by a recent national strategy. Taking into consideration the difficult situation of the European pork market in 2015 and 2016, which has aggravated the old problems of the pig farming sector in Romania, it is expected that the investment support measures and instruments will not be effective in the short term. The poultry farming sector is the main vector to reach self-sufficiency in meat by the year 2035, having technical performances comparable to those of the most efficient producers in the EU, yet slightly disadvantaged by the weaknesses of the domestic poultry market, i.e. consumers’ preferences for cheap, low quality products. With a smaller share in total meat consumption nationwide, beef can contribute to reaching the self-sufficiency target in the future, both through production increase and through producti...

Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, 2017

This paper analyzes the prices and price volatility for beef and pigmeat in Romania and compares ... more This paper analyzes the prices and price volatility for beef and pigmeat in Romania and compares them with international prices and price volatility. GARCH type processes are used to estimate price volatility. The empirical results indicate that the growth trend in pigmeat prices, in Romania and globally, is accompanied by high volatility throughout the period with significant increases in 2008, 2010 and 2014 for Romania and 2007–2008, 2012 and 2014 for world prices. Beef prices on both markets show a steady upward trend until 2015 and a high volatility during the global economic crisis, only to fall sharply afterwards. After 2015, beef prices experienced a significant decrease and a slightly increased volatility worldwide. Generally, the increased price volatility periods can be associated with significant increases in the corresponding prices or other global events (financial crisis, food price crises).

Lucrări Ştiinţifice Universitatea De Ştiinţe Agricole Şi Medicină Veterinară a Banatului Timisoara Seria I Management Agricol, 2010

The paper presents an evaluation of the effects generated by the Common Agricultural Policy adopt... more The paper presents an evaluation of the effects generated by the Common Agricultural Policy adoption in the eight Central and East-European countries that joined the European Union in the year 2004.

In Romania, the tendencies in the consumption of main food products reveal the orientation toward... more In Romania, the tendencies in the consumption of main food products reveal the orientation towards the Western Europe food consumption pattern. The differences between the urban and the rural areas are maintained, with a higher consumption in the urban area. The analysis of purchased and consumed quantities for five important groups of products – bread, meat, milk, fruit and vegetables – highlights the characteristic of food consumption in Romania: the relatively low share of purchased food in total consumption in certain products (vegetables, milk and meat). The evolution of the food purchases in the last decade, analyzed in conjunction with the estimated expenditure elasticities and price elasticities, suggests that the increase of cash incomes can accelerate the shift to a Western type of consumption pattern.

This paper tries to provide some solutions regarding farm consolidation and to diminish the share... more This paper tries to provide some solutions regarding farm consolidation and to diminish the share of subsistence farming, by analysing demographic tendencies, the ownership structure of agricultural land and the structure of the rural workforce, in Romania. The emphasis will fall on the following main solutions: the withdrawal of agricultural pensioners from the agricultural activity in return for an additional pension (before 2007) and the application of the early retirement scheme after joining the EU (probably in 2007).

A brief description of recent economic development and food security in Romania is provided in th... more A brief description of recent economic development and food security in Romania is provided in the present study. We further employ several quantitative methods to analyze recent food demand patterns. We first assess Engel curves by nonparametric Kernel regression and then estimate an Almost Ideal Demand System for aggregated food groups. Computed elasticities are consistent with the economic theory and four out of five food groups are perceived as luxuries by lowincome, rural households. All the price elasticties are negative and lower than1 meaning a price inelastic demand except for the dairy products with a price elastic demand. Majority of the crossprice elasticities have positive values revealing a possible substitution effect among food groups. Demographic effects such as family size, number of kids, and age of the households head seem to have statistically significant impact on the food expenditures.

This paper aims to provide a comprehensive insight into the major policy changes that influenced ... more This paper aims to provide a comprehensive insight into the major policy changes that influenced the Romanian agricultural sector prior to and after the country's accession to the EU in January 2007. It focuses on analysis of the volume and composition of national and EU agricultural financial support between 2002 and 2012. Preliminary findings show that as membership drew near, Romania increased its effort to provide farm support. With accession, the share of EU financial support has increased, particularly in the form of direct payments, whilst the contribution of national funds has decreased year by year, but remains much higher than the level prior to accession.

Abstract. The present paper investigates price volatility along the agri-food chains using the mo... more Abstract. The present paper investigates price volatility along the agri-food chains using the monthly series of agricultural, processor and consumer price indices. The analysis is made at sectoral level and it is also particularized for the wheat and bakery products chain and for the chain of meat and meat products. Among the most important conclusions following the analysis, in the first place we mention that the prices in the first stages of the chains, i.e. the agricultural prices and the prices in the first stage of the processing segment feature the highest volatility, while the final consumer prices are much more stable. This remark is true both for the crop products and for the animal products. The consumer prices and the processor prices attenuate and level the excessive variations of agricultural prices. Another conclusion of the paper is that the transmission of agricultural price variation in the period of agricultural crisis, which in Romania was manifested in the perio...

Abstract:  The availability and stability of the agricultural supply represents a main factor ... more Abstract:  The availability and stability of the agricultural supply represents a main factor in ensuring food security for the population. Although Romania has significant agricultural resources, it is one of the most vulnerable European countries from the population’s food security point of view, according to the evaluations made by different international organizations. The main objective of the paper refers to the identification of structural factors that lead to this chronic insufficiency of the Romanian agri-food domestic supply. For this purpose, the paper makes an updating and re-evaluation of the problems related to Romania’s productive potential, in the context of the present evolutions of the agrarian and production structures and of the possible effects of the future Common Agricultural Policy Reform.

The paper approaches the different dimensions and analysis levels of the food and nutritional sec... more The paper approaches the different dimensions and analysis levels of the food and nutritional security, presenting the sets of indicators and methodologies used by the national and international organizations for its assessment. The sources used refer to the indicators and studies elaborated by FAO, OECD, IFPRI, Eurostat, EUI, Defra, the Ministry of Health and NIS. In the recent years, the population food security issue came to the foreground again, due to the challenges at global level, among which we can mention the food demand increase from the new emergent countries, the non-food uses of agricultural production by biofuel production, as well as the impact of climate changes, on agricultural production and on food supply. Food security is a concept that widely evolved in the last decades, while its complexity gradually increased. Practically, at present, in order to evaluate the food security from the different countries of the world, the specialized institutions or research team...

This The paper presents the causes of agricultural price volatility and the volatility effects on... more This The paper presents the causes of agricultural price volatility and the volatility effects on food security. In this context, it builds upon the idea that agricultural price volatility differently influences the consumers and the farmers, at the same time affecting the population’s food security, limiting the access to food mainly for the poor population. The second part of the paper evaluates the agricultural price volatility in Romania, using the monthly price series in the period 2006-2014, from the National Institute of Statistics. The obtained results reveal that throughout the investigated period, the agricultural prices had higher volatility in sunflower, potatoes, soybean and wheat, among the crop products, and in eggs and mutton as animal products. At the same time, consumer prices were more stable excepting vegetables and fruit.

IGI Global eBooks, 2020

The present research work applied a food diversity measurement tool (Transformed Berry Index) on ... more The present research work applied a food diversity measurement tool (Transformed Berry Index) on the 2011 Household Budget Surveys data. The investigation was performed on household purchased based TBI measure and on actual consumption TBI, in order to highlight the errors that one would make if one fails to take into account the production of goods by the household. There are some important differences in the food diversity of the actual food consumption in comparison to the purchased food quantities, the number of food items being higher in the case of actual consumption. However, food diversity does not seem to be influenced by the residence area (urban vs. rural) in any of the two approaches.

Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, 2017

This paper analyzes the prices and price volatility for beef and pigmeat in Romania and compares ... more This paper analyzes the prices and price volatility for beef and pigmeat in Romania and compares them with international prices and price volatility. GARCH type processes are used to estimate price volatility. The empirical results indicate that the growth trend in pigmeat prices, in Romania and globally, is accompanied by high volatility throughout the period with significant increases in 2008, 2010 and 2014 for Romania and 2007–2008, 2012 and 2014 for world prices. Beef prices on both markets show a steady upward trend until 2015 and a high volatility during the global economic crisis, only to fall sharply afterwards. After 2015, beef prices experienced a significant decrease and a slightly increased volatility worldwide. Generally, the increased price volatility periods can be associated with significant increases in the corresponding prices or other global events (financial crisis, food price crises).

In Romania, the tendencies in the consumption of main food products reveal the orientation toward... more In Romania, the tendencies in the consumption of main food products reveal the orientation towards the Western Europe food consumption pattern. The differences between the urban and the rural areas are maintained, with a higher consumption in the urban area. The analysis of purchased and consumed quantities for five important groups of productsbread, meat, milk, fruit and vegetableshighlights the characteristic of food consumption in Romania: the relatively low share of purchased food in total consumption in certain products (vegetables, milk and meat). The evolution of the food purchases in the last decade, analyzed in conjunction with the estimated expenditure elasticities and price elasticities, suggests that the increase of cash incomes can accelerate the shift to a Western type of consumption pattern.

Banat's University of Agronomical Sciences and Veterinary Medicine International Scientific Symposium, Timisoara, Romania, 14-15 May 2009., 2009

ABSTRACT The aim of the present paper is to investigate the impact of financial allocations from ... more ABSTRACT The aim of the present paper is to investigate the impact of financial allocations from national funds in the pre-accession period and in the first two years after the accession, through the evaluation of the effects of the measures of the state aid type upon the agricultural production growth, food self-sufficiency and agricultural inputs use. On the basis of these analyses and farmers’ opinions on the support that has been received, two scenarios were formulated with regard to the utilization of financial allocations in 2009.

Sciendo eBooks, Dec 15, 2022

”30 Years of Inspiring Academic Economic Research – From the Transition to Market Economy to the Interlinked Crises of 21st Century”

Covid-19 crisis has brought to attention the vulnerabilities of the Romanian agri-food sector. So... more Covid-19 crisis has brought to attention the vulnerabilities of the Romanian agri-food sector. Some of these vulnerabilities are not easy to solve, but intervention measures should be used first to support medium-and long-term targets. On the short term, the effects of Covid-19 crisis on the Romanian agri-food sector have been reasonably managed, in line with the European Commission recommendations and using the measures proposed and/or adopted by the Commission. The analysis of these reveals the complexity of actions undertaken by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, by complying with the single European framework and adapting to the Romanian agriculture specificity. Although the European funds additional to those already allocated for the period 2014-2020 are relatively small, the flexibility in their utilization, mainly in the case of rural development funds, may prove to be important for Romania.

Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, 2020

SRPN: Food Production (Topic), 2017

Meat production is crucial for reaching the self-sufficiency targets for the important agricultur... more Meat production is crucial for reaching the self-sufficiency targets for the important agricultural products from the perspective of Romania’s food security, as defined by a recent national strategy. Taking into consideration the difficult situation of the European pork market in 2015 and 2016, which has aggravated the old problems of the pig farming sector in Romania, it is expected that the investment support measures and instruments will not be effective in the short term. The poultry farming sector is the main vector to reach self-sufficiency in meat by the year 2035, having technical performances comparable to those of the most efficient producers in the EU, yet slightly disadvantaged by the weaknesses of the domestic poultry market, i.e. consumers’ preferences for cheap, low quality products. With a smaller share in total meat consumption nationwide, beef can contribute to reaching the self-sufficiency target in the future, both through production increase and through producti...

Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, 2017

This paper analyzes the prices and price volatility for beef and pigmeat in Romania and compares ... more This paper analyzes the prices and price volatility for beef and pigmeat in Romania and compares them with international prices and price volatility. GARCH type processes are used to estimate price volatility. The empirical results indicate that the growth trend in pigmeat prices, in Romania and globally, is accompanied by high volatility throughout the period with significant increases in 2008, 2010 and 2014 for Romania and 2007–2008, 2012 and 2014 for world prices. Beef prices on both markets show a steady upward trend until 2015 and a high volatility during the global economic crisis, only to fall sharply afterwards. After 2015, beef prices experienced a significant decrease and a slightly increased volatility worldwide. Generally, the increased price volatility periods can be associated with significant increases in the corresponding prices or other global events (financial crisis, food price crises).

Lucrări Ştiinţifice Universitatea De Ştiinţe Agricole Şi Medicină Veterinară a Banatului Timisoara Seria I Management Agricol, 2010

The paper presents an evaluation of the effects generated by the Common Agricultural Policy adopt... more The paper presents an evaluation of the effects generated by the Common Agricultural Policy adoption in the eight Central and East-European countries that joined the European Union in the year 2004.

In Romania, the tendencies in the consumption of main food products reveal the orientation toward... more In Romania, the tendencies in the consumption of main food products reveal the orientation towards the Western Europe food consumption pattern. The differences between the urban and the rural areas are maintained, with a higher consumption in the urban area. The analysis of purchased and consumed quantities for five important groups of products – bread, meat, milk, fruit and vegetables – highlights the characteristic of food consumption in Romania: the relatively low share of purchased food in total consumption in certain products (vegetables, milk and meat). The evolution of the food purchases in the last decade, analyzed in conjunction with the estimated expenditure elasticities and price elasticities, suggests that the increase of cash incomes can accelerate the shift to a Western type of consumption pattern.

This paper tries to provide some solutions regarding farm consolidation and to diminish the share... more This paper tries to provide some solutions regarding farm consolidation and to diminish the share of subsistence farming, by analysing demographic tendencies, the ownership structure of agricultural land and the structure of the rural workforce, in Romania. The emphasis will fall on the following main solutions: the withdrawal of agricultural pensioners from the agricultural activity in return for an additional pension (before 2007) and the application of the early retirement scheme after joining the EU (probably in 2007).

A brief description of recent economic development and food security in Romania is provided in th... more A brief description of recent economic development and food security in Romania is provided in the present study. We further employ several quantitative methods to analyze recent food demand patterns. We first assess Engel curves by nonparametric Kernel regression and then estimate an Almost Ideal Demand System for aggregated food groups. Computed elasticities are consistent with the economic theory and four out of five food groups are perceived as luxuries by lowincome, rural households. All the price elasticties are negative and lower than1 meaning a price inelastic demand except for the dairy products with a price elastic demand. Majority of the crossprice elasticities have positive values revealing a possible substitution effect among food groups. Demographic effects such as family size, number of kids, and age of the households head seem to have statistically significant impact on the food expenditures.

This paper aims to provide a comprehensive insight into the major policy changes that influenced ... more This paper aims to provide a comprehensive insight into the major policy changes that influenced the Romanian agricultural sector prior to and after the country's accession to the EU in January 2007. It focuses on analysis of the volume and composition of national and EU agricultural financial support between 2002 and 2012. Preliminary findings show that as membership drew near, Romania increased its effort to provide farm support. With accession, the share of EU financial support has increased, particularly in the form of direct payments, whilst the contribution of national funds has decreased year by year, but remains much higher than the level prior to accession.

Abstract. The present paper investigates price volatility along the agri-food chains using the mo... more Abstract. The present paper investigates price volatility along the agri-food chains using the monthly series of agricultural, processor and consumer price indices. The analysis is made at sectoral level and it is also particularized for the wheat and bakery products chain and for the chain of meat and meat products. Among the most important conclusions following the analysis, in the first place we mention that the prices in the first stages of the chains, i.e. the agricultural prices and the prices in the first stage of the processing segment feature the highest volatility, while the final consumer prices are much more stable. This remark is true both for the crop products and for the animal products. The consumer prices and the processor prices attenuate and level the excessive variations of agricultural prices. Another conclusion of the paper is that the transmission of agricultural price variation in the period of agricultural crisis, which in Romania was manifested in the perio...

Abstract:  The availability and stability of the agricultural supply represents a main factor ... more Abstract:  The availability and stability of the agricultural supply represents a main factor in ensuring food security for the population. Although Romania has significant agricultural resources, it is one of the most vulnerable European countries from the population’s food security point of view, according to the evaluations made by different international organizations. The main objective of the paper refers to the identification of structural factors that lead to this chronic insufficiency of the Romanian agri-food domestic supply. For this purpose, the paper makes an updating and re-evaluation of the problems related to Romania’s productive potential, in the context of the present evolutions of the agrarian and production structures and of the possible effects of the future Common Agricultural Policy Reform.

The paper approaches the different dimensions and analysis levels of the food and nutritional sec... more The paper approaches the different dimensions and analysis levels of the food and nutritional security, presenting the sets of indicators and methodologies used by the national and international organizations for its assessment. The sources used refer to the indicators and studies elaborated by FAO, OECD, IFPRI, Eurostat, EUI, Defra, the Ministry of Health and NIS. In the recent years, the population food security issue came to the foreground again, due to the challenges at global level, among which we can mention the food demand increase from the new emergent countries, the non-food uses of agricultural production by biofuel production, as well as the impact of climate changes, on agricultural production and on food supply. Food security is a concept that widely evolved in the last decades, while its complexity gradually increased. Practically, at present, in order to evaluate the food security from the different countries of the world, the specialized institutions or research team...

This The paper presents the causes of agricultural price volatility and the volatility effects on... more This The paper presents the causes of agricultural price volatility and the volatility effects on food security. In this context, it builds upon the idea that agricultural price volatility differently influences the consumers and the farmers, at the same time affecting the population’s food security, limiting the access to food mainly for the poor population. The second part of the paper evaluates the agricultural price volatility in Romania, using the monthly price series in the period 2006-2014, from the National Institute of Statistics. The obtained results reveal that throughout the investigated period, the agricultural prices had higher volatility in sunflower, potatoes, soybean and wheat, among the crop products, and in eggs and mutton as animal products. At the same time, consumer prices were more stable excepting vegetables and fruit.