Advanced Search
MyIDEAS: Login

Population, Natural Resources and Food Security Lessons from Comparing Full and Reduced Form Models

Contents:

Author Info

  • W. Lutz
  • S. Scherbov
  • A. Fuernkranz-Prskawetz
  • M. Dworak
  • G. Feichtinger

Abstract

This paper discusses one of the most difficult issues in modeling complex population-environment interactions: The advantages and disadvantages of highly disaggregated empirical models versus highly reduced theoretical models. The analysis is carried out on the basis of the PEDA model, recently developed to capture interactions between population change, education, agricultural production, food security and natural resource degradation in Africa. An important feature of the approach is a non-linear food distribution function. Ranging in its use from direct science-policy communication with a number of African governments, to highly advanced dynamic mathematical analysis, PEDA turns out to be appropriate for the kind of sensitivity analysis and comparison of different levels of complexity attempted in this paper. In short, the results show that highly reduced models can never replace full empirical models, but that they show important additional features that complement the full models. For the researcher, the best understanding will be gained if one does not limit ones analysis to one level of complexity, but compares results from different levels.

Download Info

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.
File URL: http://www.iiasa.ac.at/Publications/Documents/IR-00-038.pdf
Download Restriction: no
File URL: http://www.iiasa.ac.at/Publications/Documents/IR-00-038.ps
Download Restriction: no

Bibliographic Info

Paper provided by International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in its series Working Papers with number ir00038.

as in new window
Length:
Date of creation: Jun 2000
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:wop:iasawp:ir00038

Contact details of provider:
Postal: A-2361 Laxenburg
Phone: +43-2236-807-0
Fax: +43-2236-71313
Email:
Web page: http://www.iiasa.ac.at/Publications/Catalog/PUB_ONLINE.html
More information through EDIRC

Related research

Keywords:

This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

References

No references listed on IDEAS
You can help add them by filling out this form.

Citations

Lists

This item is not listed on Wikipedia, on a reading list or among the top items on IDEAS.

Statistics

Access and download statistics

Corrections

When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wop:iasawp:ir00038

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: (Thomas Krichel).

If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

If references are entirely missing, you can add them using this form.

If the full references list an item that is present in RePEc, but the system did not link to it, you can help with this form.

If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.