Bhawani Mishra | University of Missouri Columbia (original) (raw)

Papers by Bhawani Mishra

Romanian Journal of Regional Science, 2016

The Creative Class Workers (CCWs), a special group of human capital, are not uniformly distribute... more The Creative Class Workers (CCWs), a special group of human capital, are not uniformly distributed across geographic locations. The CCWs are the most innovative and dynamic group of human capital and play important role in regional economic growth. Therefore, it is important to understand the distribution of CCW growth across regions and time. This study examines the CCWs growth convergence of CCWs across US counties. Due to the spatial autocorrelation, the conditional spatial error model turns out to be the best fit model to examine the beta-convergence. The conditional spatial error model estimates about 58 years required to cover the gap of CCWs growth among the US counties. Due to spatial autocorrelation, the neighboring counties help shorten the convergence by 19.8 years. The result also finds evidence of sigma-convergence but not in all RuralUrban Continuum Code (RUCC) county groups. The beta-convergence analysis by RUCC groups shows different convergence rates.

Coffee farmers typically operate without knowledge of their actual and potential economic efficie... more Coffee farmers typically operate without knowledge of their actual and potential economic efficiency. Understanding the technical relationships between inputs and outputs is the key to increasing the efficiency of production. This research estimated the level of Technical Efficiency (TE), and the key factors affecting farm level efficiency, of organic coffee cultivation in the hill region of Nepal. TE of 280 organic coffee farms was related to farm size and farm altitude categories. Increasing returns to scale was observed in 43.21% of organic farms suggesting that greater efficiency could be achieved through enlargement. The mean technical efficiencies of small, medium and large farms were 84.7%, 90.7%, and 90.6% respectively and in low, medium and high altitude locations were 89.6%, 86.1% and 91.9% respectively. Approximately 46%, 43% and 39% of the coffee farms in low, medium and high altitude areas were found to be technically efficient. Similarly, about 43%, 50% and 56% of smal...

The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine

The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine

This quasi-experimental pilot study aimed to implement and evaluate a sustainable, rural communit... more This quasi-experimental pilot study aimed to implement and evaluate a sustainable, rural community-based patient outreach model for preventive care provided through primary care practices (PCPs) located in a rural county in Oklahoma. A Wellness Coordinator (WC) working with PCPs, the county health department, the county hospital, and a health information exchange (HIE) organization helped county residents receive evidence-based preventive services. Methods: The WC used a community wellness registry connected to electronic medical records via HIE and called patients at the county level based on PCP-prioritized and tailored protocols. The registry flagged patient-level preventive care gaps, tracked outreach efforts, and documented the delivery of preventive services throughout the community. Return on investment (ROI) for prioritized preventive services was estimated in participating organizations. Results: Six of the 7 PCPs in the county expressed interest in the project. Three of these practices fully implemented the 1-year outreach program starting in mid 2015. The regional HIE supplied periodic data updates for 9138 county residents to help the coordinators address care gaps using the community registry. A total of 5034 outreach calls were made by the WC in the first year and 7776 prioritized recommendations were offered when care gaps were detected. Of the 5034 distinct patients who received a call, 1146 (22%) were up to date on all prioritized services, whereas 3888 (78%) were due for at least 1 of the selected services. Health care organizations in the county significantly improved the delivery of selected preventive services (mean increase, 35% across 10 services; P ‫؍‬ .004; range, 3% to 215%) and realized a mean ROI of 80% for these services (range, 32% to 122%). The health system that employed the WC earned an estimated revenue of $52,000 realizing a 40% ROI for the coordinator position. Conclusions: Although more research is needed, our pilot study suggests that it may be feasible and cost effective to implement an innovative, county-level patient outreach program for improving preventive care in rural settings.

Agricultural Economics Research Review, 2016

Using a partial equilibrium model, this study has investigated cross-border price effect on the r... more Using a partial equilibrium model, this study has investigated cross-border price effect on the rice demand and supply in Nepal. Due to bigger market and close proximity, Indian rice price is likely to affect Nepalese rice price. This study has examined the effect of Indian rice price on Nepalese rice demand, and supply by making projections for the next 10 years period using the baseline data from 1992 to 2013. The model has estimated that the per capita rice demand will decrease from 130 kg/capita to 128 kg/capita between 2013 and 2023. The model has also introduced 3 per cent price shock (increase) in Indian rice price, a trend in past five years, to examine the scenario of rice import and export for Nepal.

ABSTRACT Community-based forest management has been popular and effective in Nepal. Community for... more ABSTRACT Community-based forest management has been popular and effective in Nepal. Community forest comprises 96 percent of the total forest under different community based management regimes. This case study of Debnagar community forest shows that forest protection (grazing bans, forest fire control and cessation of illegal timber harvesting) is the first important objective. Members of the Community Forest Users Group (CFUG) reported feeling proud and satisfied with working in a group for the management of forest resources. The theoretical underpinning of the social capital approach was used to analyze the process and progress of the CFUG. They have been successful in linking forest management practices with economic activities such as marketing forest-based products, saving-credit, and the domestication of high value medicinal and aromatic plant species. The CFUG has noticed an improvement in regeneration and increased floral and faunal diversity in forest areas

ABSTRACT The incidence of poverty is not uniform across geographical areas due to differences in ... more ABSTRACT The incidence of poverty is not uniform across geographical areas due to differences in socioeconomic, demographic, and locational characteristics. This study analyzes the poverty distribution and concentration across Missouri counties between 2003 and 2012 based on the two USDA county classifications i) Rural-Urban Continuum Codes (RUCC) and ii) Urban Influence Codes (UIC). The result shows that the number of counties with higher poverty rates than that national poverty rate increased between 2003 and 2012. However, the number of counties with higher poverty rate than that of the state of Missouri decreased in the same period. The RUCC 1 and 3 groups (both metro) had the lowest average poverty rates while RUCCs 7, and 9 (both non-metro) groups had the highest average poverty rates during that period. Statistically, there was a significant difference between the average poverty rate of the RUCC 1 group (metro counties) and the average poverty rate of non-metro groups RUCCs 6, 7, and 9 for all these years, indicating a higher poverty incidence in the non-metro counties. We used the concept of Location Quotient to develop an indicator for poverty concentration called Poverty Location Quotient (PLQ). This indicator was used to examine the poverty concentration in different county groups based on RUCCs and UICs. The average PLQ values for different county groups suggests that the poverty concentration was higher in the non-metro and not adjacent to metro area county groups. PLQ analysis also showed that the poverty concentration in the counties that are not adjacent to metro counties increased during the period. The counties with higher concentration of poverty (i.e. PLQ greater than 1) increased from 66 to 83 (out of 115 counties) in Missouri between 2003 and 2012. The results also indicate the percentage of poor living in ther counties with 20 percent or more poor has doubled (from 13 to 26 percent) in Missouri between 2003 and 2012, which further supported the results based on PLQ index.

Paper Presented on 41st Annual and Conference Mid-Continent Regional Science Association (MCRSA),... more Paper Presented on 41st Annual and Conference Mid-Continent Regional Science Association (MCRSA), June 3-5, 2010 St. Louis, MO

Organic Agriculture, 2015

ABSTRACT The data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach was used to estimate technical efficiency s... more ABSTRACT The data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach was used to estimate technical efficiency scores which were then regressed against farm specific characters using Tobit regression. Primary data were collected from a random sample of 240 organic and conventional coffee famers (120 from each type). Mean technical efficiency scores were 0.89 and 0.83 for organic and conventional coffee farming, respectively. Scores for farms operating under constant return to scale (CRS), decreasing return to scale (DRS) and increasing return to scale (IRS) were 31.67, 3.83, and 37.5 %, respectively, for organic coffee and 29.17, 25, and 45.83 %, respectively, in conventional farming areas. These scale characteristics define a production set that is closed and convex with property of strong disposability. Tobit regression showed that the variation in technical efficiency was related to education, farm experience and training/extension services, and access to credit. Farmers would reconsider the rationing of input and learn from technically efficient farm practices. Policy implications will rest on production planning strategies. The objective of this study was to estimate the technical efficiency of both types of farming and evaluating the factors affecting farm inefficiency of each farming category of coffee in rural region of Nepal.

The incidence of poverty is not uniform across geographical areas due to differences in socioecon... more The incidence of poverty is not uniform across geographical areas due to differences in socioeconomic, demographic, and locational characteristics. This study analyzes the poverty distribution and concentration across Missouri counties between 2003 and 2012 based on the two USDA county classifications i) Rural-Urban Continuum Codes (RUCC) and ii) Urban Influence Codes (UIC). The result shows that the number of counties with higher poverty rates than that national poverty rate increased between 2003 and 2012. However, the number of counties with higher poverty rate than that of the state of Missouri decreased in the same period. The RUCC 1 and 3 groups (both metro) had the lowest average poverty rates while RUCCs 7, and 9 (both non-metro) groups had the highest average poverty rates during that period. Statistically, there was a significant difference between the average poverty rate of the RUCC 1 group (metro counties) and the average poverty rate of non-metro groups RUCCs 6, 7, and...

The Journal of Rural Health, 2013

ABSTRACT Community-based forest management has been popular and effective in Nepal. Community for... more ABSTRACT Community-based forest management has been popular and effective in Nepal. Community forest comprises 96 percent of the total forest under different community based management regimes. This case study of Debnagar community forest shows that forest protection (grazing bans, forest fire control and cessation of illegal timber harvesting) is the first important objective. Members of the Community Forest Users Group (CFUG) reported feeling proud and satisfied with working in a group for the management of forest resources. The theoretical underpinning of the social capital approach was used to analyze the process and progress of the CFUG. They have been successful in linking forest management practices with economic activities such as marketing forest-based products, saving-credit, and the domestication of high value medicinal and aromatic plant species. The CFUG has noticed an improvement in regeneration and increased floral and faunal diversity in forest areas

The gap in access to broadband internet service between rural and urban areas of Missouri is wide... more The gap in access to broadband internet service between rural and urban areas of Missouri is wide and growing. This has serious implication for the competitiveness and viability of farms and agribusinesses and for the quality of life for rural residents, especially farm families. Agriculture has become a highly information dependent industry. High speed internet is necessary to efficiently access markets information and to market their products locally, regionally, nationally and globally. Information is even more important for producers in higher value niche markets. Many farming technologies require high speed, wireless connectivity.

Rural hospitals are critical for access to health care, and for their contributions to local econ... more Rural hospitals are critical for access to health care, and for their contributions to local economies. However, many rural hospitals, especially critical access hospitals (CAHs) need to strive for more efficiency for continued viability. Routinely evaluating their performance, and providing feedback to management and policy makers, is therefore important. Three measures of relative efficiency are estimated for CAHs in Missouri using an Input-oriented Data Envelopment Analysis with a variable returns to scale assumption and compared with the efficiency of other rural hospitals in Missouri using Banker's F-test. Using 30-day readmission rate as a measure of quality, CAHs are evaluated against efficiency-quality dimensions. CAHs in Missouri had a slight decline in average technical efficiency, but they had a slight gain in average cost efficiency in 2009 compared to 2006. More than half of the CAHs were neither economically nor technically efficient in both years. The relative efficiency of other rural hospitals was statistically higher than that of CAHs in Missouri. This study validates the finding of relative inefficiency of CAHs compared to other hospitals paid under the Prospective Payment System at a state level (Missouri). However, with considerable variation in socioeconomic as well as health care access indicators across states, a relative efficiency frontier may not be the only relevant indicator of value for the evaluation of the performance of CAHs. Access to health care and the impact on the local economy provided by these CAHs to the community are also critical indicators for more comprehensive performance evaluation.

Romanian Journal of Regional Science, 2016

The Creative Class Workers (CCWs), a special group of human capital, are not uniformly distribute... more The Creative Class Workers (CCWs), a special group of human capital, are not uniformly distributed across geographic locations. The CCWs are the most innovative and dynamic group of human capital and play important role in regional economic growth. Therefore, it is important to understand the distribution of CCW growth across regions and time. This study examines the CCWs growth convergence of CCWs across US counties. Due to the spatial autocorrelation, the conditional spatial error model turns out to be the best fit model to examine the beta-convergence. The conditional spatial error model estimates about 58 years required to cover the gap of CCWs growth among the US counties. Due to spatial autocorrelation, the neighboring counties help shorten the convergence by 19.8 years. The result also finds evidence of sigma-convergence but not in all RuralUrban Continuum Code (RUCC) county groups. The beta-convergence analysis by RUCC groups shows different convergence rates.

Coffee farmers typically operate without knowledge of their actual and potential economic efficie... more Coffee farmers typically operate without knowledge of their actual and potential economic efficiency. Understanding the technical relationships between inputs and outputs is the key to increasing the efficiency of production. This research estimated the level of Technical Efficiency (TE), and the key factors affecting farm level efficiency, of organic coffee cultivation in the hill region of Nepal. TE of 280 organic coffee farms was related to farm size and farm altitude categories. Increasing returns to scale was observed in 43.21% of organic farms suggesting that greater efficiency could be achieved through enlargement. The mean technical efficiencies of small, medium and large farms were 84.7%, 90.7%, and 90.6% respectively and in low, medium and high altitude locations were 89.6%, 86.1% and 91.9% respectively. Approximately 46%, 43% and 39% of the coffee farms in low, medium and high altitude areas were found to be technically efficient. Similarly, about 43%, 50% and 56% of smal...

The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine

The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine

This quasi-experimental pilot study aimed to implement and evaluate a sustainable, rural communit... more This quasi-experimental pilot study aimed to implement and evaluate a sustainable, rural community-based patient outreach model for preventive care provided through primary care practices (PCPs) located in a rural county in Oklahoma. A Wellness Coordinator (WC) working with PCPs, the county health department, the county hospital, and a health information exchange (HIE) organization helped county residents receive evidence-based preventive services. Methods: The WC used a community wellness registry connected to electronic medical records via HIE and called patients at the county level based on PCP-prioritized and tailored protocols. The registry flagged patient-level preventive care gaps, tracked outreach efforts, and documented the delivery of preventive services throughout the community. Return on investment (ROI) for prioritized preventive services was estimated in participating organizations. Results: Six of the 7 PCPs in the county expressed interest in the project. Three of these practices fully implemented the 1-year outreach program starting in mid 2015. The regional HIE supplied periodic data updates for 9138 county residents to help the coordinators address care gaps using the community registry. A total of 5034 outreach calls were made by the WC in the first year and 7776 prioritized recommendations were offered when care gaps were detected. Of the 5034 distinct patients who received a call, 1146 (22%) were up to date on all prioritized services, whereas 3888 (78%) were due for at least 1 of the selected services. Health care organizations in the county significantly improved the delivery of selected preventive services (mean increase, 35% across 10 services; P ‫؍‬ .004; range, 3% to 215%) and realized a mean ROI of 80% for these services (range, 32% to 122%). The health system that employed the WC earned an estimated revenue of $52,000 realizing a 40% ROI for the coordinator position. Conclusions: Although more research is needed, our pilot study suggests that it may be feasible and cost effective to implement an innovative, county-level patient outreach program for improving preventive care in rural settings.

Agricultural Economics Research Review, 2016

Using a partial equilibrium model, this study has investigated cross-border price effect on the r... more Using a partial equilibrium model, this study has investigated cross-border price effect on the rice demand and supply in Nepal. Due to bigger market and close proximity, Indian rice price is likely to affect Nepalese rice price. This study has examined the effect of Indian rice price on Nepalese rice demand, and supply by making projections for the next 10 years period using the baseline data from 1992 to 2013. The model has estimated that the per capita rice demand will decrease from 130 kg/capita to 128 kg/capita between 2013 and 2023. The model has also introduced 3 per cent price shock (increase) in Indian rice price, a trend in past five years, to examine the scenario of rice import and export for Nepal.

ABSTRACT Community-based forest management has been popular and effective in Nepal. Community for... more ABSTRACT Community-based forest management has been popular and effective in Nepal. Community forest comprises 96 percent of the total forest under different community based management regimes. This case study of Debnagar community forest shows that forest protection (grazing bans, forest fire control and cessation of illegal timber harvesting) is the first important objective. Members of the Community Forest Users Group (CFUG) reported feeling proud and satisfied with working in a group for the management of forest resources. The theoretical underpinning of the social capital approach was used to analyze the process and progress of the CFUG. They have been successful in linking forest management practices with economic activities such as marketing forest-based products, saving-credit, and the domestication of high value medicinal and aromatic plant species. The CFUG has noticed an improvement in regeneration and increased floral and faunal diversity in forest areas

ABSTRACT The incidence of poverty is not uniform across geographical areas due to differences in ... more ABSTRACT The incidence of poverty is not uniform across geographical areas due to differences in socioeconomic, demographic, and locational characteristics. This study analyzes the poverty distribution and concentration across Missouri counties between 2003 and 2012 based on the two USDA county classifications i) Rural-Urban Continuum Codes (RUCC) and ii) Urban Influence Codes (UIC). The result shows that the number of counties with higher poverty rates than that national poverty rate increased between 2003 and 2012. However, the number of counties with higher poverty rate than that of the state of Missouri decreased in the same period. The RUCC 1 and 3 groups (both metro) had the lowest average poverty rates while RUCCs 7, and 9 (both non-metro) groups had the highest average poverty rates during that period. Statistically, there was a significant difference between the average poverty rate of the RUCC 1 group (metro counties) and the average poverty rate of non-metro groups RUCCs 6, 7, and 9 for all these years, indicating a higher poverty incidence in the non-metro counties. We used the concept of Location Quotient to develop an indicator for poverty concentration called Poverty Location Quotient (PLQ). This indicator was used to examine the poverty concentration in different county groups based on RUCCs and UICs. The average PLQ values for different county groups suggests that the poverty concentration was higher in the non-metro and not adjacent to metro area county groups. PLQ analysis also showed that the poverty concentration in the counties that are not adjacent to metro counties increased during the period. The counties with higher concentration of poverty (i.e. PLQ greater than 1) increased from 66 to 83 (out of 115 counties) in Missouri between 2003 and 2012. The results also indicate the percentage of poor living in ther counties with 20 percent or more poor has doubled (from 13 to 26 percent) in Missouri between 2003 and 2012, which further supported the results based on PLQ index.

Paper Presented on 41st Annual and Conference Mid-Continent Regional Science Association (MCRSA),... more Paper Presented on 41st Annual and Conference Mid-Continent Regional Science Association (MCRSA), June 3-5, 2010 St. Louis, MO

Organic Agriculture, 2015

ABSTRACT The data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach was used to estimate technical efficiency s... more ABSTRACT The data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach was used to estimate technical efficiency scores which were then regressed against farm specific characters using Tobit regression. Primary data were collected from a random sample of 240 organic and conventional coffee famers (120 from each type). Mean technical efficiency scores were 0.89 and 0.83 for organic and conventional coffee farming, respectively. Scores for farms operating under constant return to scale (CRS), decreasing return to scale (DRS) and increasing return to scale (IRS) were 31.67, 3.83, and 37.5 %, respectively, for organic coffee and 29.17, 25, and 45.83 %, respectively, in conventional farming areas. These scale characteristics define a production set that is closed and convex with property of strong disposability. Tobit regression showed that the variation in technical efficiency was related to education, farm experience and training/extension services, and access to credit. Farmers would reconsider the rationing of input and learn from technically efficient farm practices. Policy implications will rest on production planning strategies. The objective of this study was to estimate the technical efficiency of both types of farming and evaluating the factors affecting farm inefficiency of each farming category of coffee in rural region of Nepal.

The incidence of poverty is not uniform across geographical areas due to differences in socioecon... more The incidence of poverty is not uniform across geographical areas due to differences in socioeconomic, demographic, and locational characteristics. This study analyzes the poverty distribution and concentration across Missouri counties between 2003 and 2012 based on the two USDA county classifications i) Rural-Urban Continuum Codes (RUCC) and ii) Urban Influence Codes (UIC). The result shows that the number of counties with higher poverty rates than that national poverty rate increased between 2003 and 2012. However, the number of counties with higher poverty rate than that of the state of Missouri decreased in the same period. The RUCC 1 and 3 groups (both metro) had the lowest average poverty rates while RUCCs 7, and 9 (both non-metro) groups had the highest average poverty rates during that period. Statistically, there was a significant difference between the average poverty rate of the RUCC 1 group (metro counties) and the average poverty rate of non-metro groups RUCCs 6, 7, and...

The Journal of Rural Health, 2013

ABSTRACT Community-based forest management has been popular and effective in Nepal. Community for... more ABSTRACT Community-based forest management has been popular and effective in Nepal. Community forest comprises 96 percent of the total forest under different community based management regimes. This case study of Debnagar community forest shows that forest protection (grazing bans, forest fire control and cessation of illegal timber harvesting) is the first important objective. Members of the Community Forest Users Group (CFUG) reported feeling proud and satisfied with working in a group for the management of forest resources. The theoretical underpinning of the social capital approach was used to analyze the process and progress of the CFUG. They have been successful in linking forest management practices with economic activities such as marketing forest-based products, saving-credit, and the domestication of high value medicinal and aromatic plant species. The CFUG has noticed an improvement in regeneration and increased floral and faunal diversity in forest areas

The gap in access to broadband internet service between rural and urban areas of Missouri is wide... more The gap in access to broadband internet service between rural and urban areas of Missouri is wide and growing. This has serious implication for the competitiveness and viability of farms and agribusinesses and for the quality of life for rural residents, especially farm families. Agriculture has become a highly information dependent industry. High speed internet is necessary to efficiently access markets information and to market their products locally, regionally, nationally and globally. Information is even more important for producers in higher value niche markets. Many farming technologies require high speed, wireless connectivity.

Rural hospitals are critical for access to health care, and for their contributions to local econ... more Rural hospitals are critical for access to health care, and for their contributions to local economies. However, many rural hospitals, especially critical access hospitals (CAHs) need to strive for more efficiency for continued viability. Routinely evaluating their performance, and providing feedback to management and policy makers, is therefore important. Three measures of relative efficiency are estimated for CAHs in Missouri using an Input-oriented Data Envelopment Analysis with a variable returns to scale assumption and compared with the efficiency of other rural hospitals in Missouri using Banker's F-test. Using 30-day readmission rate as a measure of quality, CAHs are evaluated against efficiency-quality dimensions. CAHs in Missouri had a slight decline in average technical efficiency, but they had a slight gain in average cost efficiency in 2009 compared to 2006. More than half of the CAHs were neither economically nor technically efficient in both years. The relative efficiency of other rural hospitals was statistically higher than that of CAHs in Missouri. This study validates the finding of relative inefficiency of CAHs compared to other hospitals paid under the Prospective Payment System at a state level (Missouri). However, with considerable variation in socioeconomic as well as health care access indicators across states, a relative efficiency frontier may not be the only relevant indicator of value for the evaluation of the performance of CAHs. Access to health care and the impact on the local economy provided by these CAHs to the community are also critical indicators for more comprehensive performance evaluation.