Land inequality and deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon

May combine two claims.

Deforestation confers on the occupant greater capitalization (because deforested land is more valued) and provides benefits through the sale of wood and the development of cattle activities.

“In fact, as observed in section 2, deforestation confers on the occupant greater capitalization (because deforested land is more valued) and provides benefits through the sale of wood and the development of cattle activities.”

• cites Castro (2005) sourcePartly supported

  The Introduction links capitalization and income to cattle ranching alongside timber exploitation, and section 9 says settlers sell wood from their plots. But the paper does not say that clearing itself makes land more valuable; section 5 instead links rising land prices to new demand for soy production. The specific explanation for greater capitalization is therefore unsupported. (LLM, conf=0.86)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

May combine two claims.

Cattle prices and rural credit have positive and relatively stable positive coefficients.

“As expected, cattle prices and rural credit have positive and relatively stable positive coefficients.”

May combine two claims.

In OLS with covariates, the Composed Gini estimator is positive and statistically significant in 2002-2005, and significance disappears in 2006-2011.

“During the period 2002-2005, the estimator is positive and statistically significant.In the period 2006-2011, significance disappears.”

May combine two claims.

The coefficients of Gini are unstable and without significance.

“Regarding the coefficients of Gini, they, again, are unstable and without significance.”

May combine two claims.

Empirical results confirm the theoretical hypothesis and show a positive relationship between land concentration and deforestation.

“Empirical results confirm the theoretical hypothesis and show a positive relationship between land concentration and deforestation.”

May combine two claims.

Results are valid only in the period 2002-2004; for the periods 2005-2008 and 2009-2011, the estimator for the effects of land inequality is not different from zero.

“Indeed, as can be seen from table 6, results are valid only in the period 2002-2004. For the periods 2005-2008 and 2009-2011, the estimator for the effects of land inequality is not different from zero.”

May combine two claims.

Results still point to a positive relationship between land inequality and deforestation, although not statistically significant when considering a fixed effects with IV model.

“Results still point to a positive relationship between land inequality and deforestation, although not statistically significant when considering a fixed effects with IV model.”

May combine two claims.

The analysis is split into two periods (2002-2005 and 2006-2011) because deforestation significantly decreased since 2005 and another shift occurred in 2008.

“This division is due to two reasons.First, deforestation has significantly decreased since 2005.Another shift in its trend occurred in 2008.”

May combine two claims.

The Gini of the municipality itself is significant, albeit small and with its sign moving from positive to negative across time periods.

“Finally, the Gini of the municipality itself is significant, albeit small and with its sign moving from positive to negative across time periods.”

The quote only partly states this claim.

A robustness check with three different periods (2002-2004, 2005-2008, 2009-2011) shows a decreasing effect as time elapses.

“Again, results show a decreasing effect as time elapses.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

Using the total area minus the area occupied by cities and water does not change the results.

“Using the total area minus the area occupied by cities and water does not change the results.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

Tole (2004) argues that the degree of land accessibility is a function of rural population density and land inequality, and unequal systems do worse in accommodating population pressures.

“In her framework, the degree of land accessibility is a function of rural population density and land inequality, where unequal systems do worse in accommodating population pressures than more egalitarian systems.”

• cites Tole, 2004 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

May combine two claims.

The empirical findings suggest that welfare improvements may lead to less deforestation and improved land use.

“The empirical findings suggest that, when the effects of land distribution on occupational choices and how they relate to deforestation are taken into account, it is clear that there is a substantial role for welfare improvements that may well lead to a situation with less deforestation and improved land use.”

May combine two claims.

An increase in land inequality jointly decreases agricultural production and tends to increase deforestation.

“Within such a framework, an increase in land inequality jointly decreases agricultural production and tends to increase deforestation.”

May combine two claims.

Ceteris paribus, higher land concentration leads to migration and promotes higher deforestation rates.

“Thus, ceteris paribus, higher land concentration leads to migration and promotes higher deforestation rates.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

As property rights are badly defined, deforestation improves the chance of acquiring property rights over land, which may lead to land speculation that reinforces land clearing.

“as property rights are badly defined, the process of deforestation improves the chance of acquiring property rights over land; this, in turn, may often lead to land speculation processes that reinforce even further land clearing”

• cites Fearnside, 1992Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

• cites Schneider, 1994Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

• cites Oz ório De Almeida and Campari, 1995Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

The OLS estimator can still suffer from omitted variable bias.

“As argued before, the OLS estimator can still suffer from omitted variable bias.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

Land concentration may act as a push factor, expelling workers without opportunities to access land in a given municipality.

“Land concentration may act as a push factor, expelling workers without opportunities to access land in a given municipality.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Some authors assign a role for the concentrated pattern of land occupation as a motivation for deforestation, because it results in exclusion from access to land.

“Some authors assign a role for the concentrated pattern of land occupation, as it results in exclusion from access to land as a motivation for deforestation”

• cites Becker, 1991Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

• cites Fearnside, 1992Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

• cites Walker and Homma, 1996 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

May combine two claims.

Difficulties imposed for small producers lead them to bankruptcy and outmigration to new frontiers.

“The difficulties imposed for small producers leads them to bankruptcy and outmigration to new frontiers (Wood, 1983, cited in Walker andHomma, 1996).”

• cites Wood, 1983, cited in Walker andHomma, 1996Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

Violence, measured as homicide rate, and sanitation coverage represent externalities that might affect the decision to migrate.

“In addition, as described by Sousa (2013), some externalities are important when it comes to pushing migrants from their original locality: violence, measured as homicide rate, and sanitation coverage represent this kind of externality that might also affect the decision to migrate.”

• cites Sousa (2013)Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

May combine two claims.

The policy discontinuity increases the cost of deforestation and is not fully captured by the controls, even when controlling for time fixed effects.

“In such a context, the policy discontinuity increases the cost of deforestation and is not fully captured by the controls, even when controlling for time fixed effects”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

A well-established result in the Brazilian Amazon is that the expansion of cattle ranching explains the pattern of deforestation.

“A well-established result in the Brazilian Amazon is related to the importance of the expansion of cattle ranching to explain the pattern of deforestation.”

• cites Assunc ¸ão et al., 2015Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

May combine two claims.

The measure of land inequality can deal with reverse causality problems, but there is still room for omitted variable bias.

“In spite of the fact that the measure of land inequality can deal with reverse causality problems, there is still room for omitted variable bias.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

The stronger results for 2002-2005 might be due to command and control policies that significantly increased the cost of clearing land since the mid-2000s.

“This might be due to command and control policies which have significantly increased the cost of clearing land since the mid-2000s.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

In Brazil, deforestation is highly associated with economic incentives provided by the profitability of activities associated with land-use change.

“In Brazil deforestation is highly associated with economic incentives provided by the profitability of activities associated with land-use change (e.g., unsustainable logging, cattle ranching, cultivation).”

• cites Fearnside, 1992Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

• cites Schneider, 1994Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

• cites Oz ório De Almeida and Campari, 1995Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

The measure of land concentration is lagged and based on other municipalities according to migration patterns.

“the measure of land concentration is lagged and based on other municipalities, according to the pattern of migration to the municipalities of interest.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

Prices in the southern state of Paraná are exogenous indicators for cattle prices in the Legal Amazon.

“Thus, they consider prices in the southern state of Paraná as exogenous indicators.”

• cites Assunc ¸ão et al., 2015Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

The combination of low access to land where the frontier is already well-established and the economic opportunities associated with clearing land creates a link between land inequality and deforestation.

“Thus, the combination of low access to land, where the frontier is already well-established, and the economic opportunities associated with clearing land, creates a link between land inequality and deforestation.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

Two problems may arise with OLS estimation: reverse causality and omitted variable bias.

“two problems may arise when simply testing this correspondence using an ordinary least squares (OLS) estimation.First, it is possible to have a problem of reverse causality in the model.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

It is not clear that the exclusion restriction holds.

“Although results in table 4 show that the IV is related to inequality, it is not clear that the exclusion restriction holds.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based). May combine two claims.

The effect of land concentration need not be in the same municipality; inequality in access to land may work as a push factor leading to migration from one municipality to another in the agricultural frontier.

“The effect of land concentration need not be in the same municipality.Instead, it may be possible that inequality in the access to land works as a push factor leading to migration from one municipality to another in the agricultural frontier.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

According to Baum and Schaffer (2007), the F-statistic should be at least 10 for weak identification not to be considered a problem.

“However, according to Baum and Schaffer (2007), in order to test for weak identification, one should apply the 'rule of thumb' that the F-statistic should be at least 10 in order for weak identification not to be considered a problem.”

• cites Baum and Schaffer (2007)Not checked — no full text of the source

May combine two claims.

Within the period of analysis, the Amazon experienced a large shift in command and control policies that led to a substantial increase in the cost of deforestation, thus leading to a discontinuity in deforestation figures.

“Within the period of analysis, the Amazon experienced a large shift in command and control policies that led to a substantial increase in the cost of deforestation, thus leading to a discontinuity in deforestation figures.”

May combine two claims.

Deforestation is positively related to land inequality, land prices, and cattle ranching profits; negatively related to cost of deforestation and agricultural prices and yields; the effect of wages is ambiguous.

“Proposition 1. Deforestation is positively related to land inequality (i), land prices (p), cattle ranching profits (b); and negatively related to cost of deforestation (c), and agricultural prices and yields (q).As for wages, the effect is ambiguous.”

• AssumptionThe authors state this as an assumption: Deforestation results from an economic reasoning that compares payoffs from farming and from clearing land at the frontier.
• AssumptionThe authors state this as an assumption: There are no credit or land rental markets.
• AssumptionThe authors state this as an assumption: Accessible land is a function of land inequality.
• AssumptionThe authors state this as an assumption: There will be a production function with fixed technology in labor and land.
• AssumptionThe authors state this as an assumption: If the decision is to clear land, the individual does not need to employ labor and receives a profit b.
• AssumptionThe authors state this as an assumption: Land distribution is not binding on the size of L.

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

As government policies have become stricter in relation to deforestation, they can be interpreted as an increase in the cost of deforestation.

“As government policies have become stricter in relation to deforestation, they can be interpreted as an increase in the cost of deforestation.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Assunção et al. (2015) relate shifts in trend to policies adopted by the Brazilian government.

“Assunc ¸ão et al. (2015) relate these shifts in trend to policies adopted by the Brazilian government.”

• cites Assunc ¸ão et al. (2015)Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

May combine two claims.

There were two major shifts in command and control policies for deforestation in the Legal Amazon: in 2004, a new plan PPCDAm was launched; in 2008, a presidential decree selected a list of priority municipalities.

“As Assunc ¸ão et al. (2015) point out, there were two major shifts in command and control policies for deforestation in the Legal Amazon.First, in 2004, a new plan -the PPCDAm -was launched to combat deforestation.The second turning point was the passing of a presidential decree that selected a list of priority municipalities in which to combat deforestation in 2008.”

• cites Assunc ¸ão et al. (2015)Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.