April 2008 Archives
Two
months have passed since we posted our first "Commentary Reflection" (see entry).
The "Commentary Reflection" is a chance for the KIS Executive to highlight
comments that have been posted on the blog. As always, we encourage you to post
comments to the entries or to send us an email or drop us a line.
Continue reading Commentary Reflection - Part II.
Universities and research
institutes often carry out research projects funded by government grants. In
fact, the Knowledge Impact in Society (KIS) Project responsible for the
Illative Blog receives half of its funding from the Social Sciences and
Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada. A number of rules, regulations, policies and procedures have
been put in place to ensure government funds are used appropriately. But are
these very regulations and procedures, put in place to prevent the improper use
of research dollars, actually limiting researchers' time to conduct research?
Findings in a study
by the Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) in the United States show that
the administrative tasks associated with grants can burden researchers to the
point where 42 percent of time committed to federal research is spent complying
with rules and procedures rather than conducting actual research.
Continue reading ROI losses due to administrative tasks.
The
introduction in British Columbia last week of legislation to establish a
cap-and-trade system for regulating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (see
story) is a sign of what might be expected in the next few years as efforts
to reduce GHGs are intensified around the world. These efforts will have
significant implications for agriculture.
Continue reading Carbon taxes and tariffs.
In a
recent Illative Blog posting,
Richard Gray asked the question "Is this current price peak in grain prices
just another blip in the commodity cycle or has something changed?" He then
goes on to argue that the high prices might last longer than has usually been
the case because of three factors: (1) growing economies in China and India;
(2) Hubbert's Peak; and (3) U.S. biofuel policy. The purpose of this posting is
to look at what might be in store for agriculture if the current situation of
high grain demand and low stocks prevails for some period of time.
Continue reading Volatility, Uncertainty and....
