Paper Title

FROM CONVENIENCE TO CONSCIOUS CONSUMPTION: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR AND SUSTAINABILITY IN THE DIGITAL ERA

Abstract

Digital technologies have transformed the way consumers discover, assess and buy products, moving from impulse to values-based buying. This paper looks at the changing dynamics of consumer behaviour and sustainability in the digital age and how new technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, big data analytics, IoT and cloud computing are helping to increase transparency, traceability and accountability throughout the consumption journey. The study draws on the existing literature and conceptual frameworks to examine the impact of digital platforms on consumer awareness of environmental and social impact, and the extent to which this awareness is translated (or not translated) into sustainable purchasing decisions. The paper highlights the main drivers and barriers to this transition, such as green labelling, tracking carbon footprints digitally, algorithmic recommendations, and the influence of social media on creating eco-conscious identities. The paper concludes with practical suggestions for businesses, policy makers and technology developers to develop digital ecosystems that enable consumers to make conscious and sustainable choices, instead of convenience choices, towards a greener future.
KEYWORDS : Digital Consumer Behaviour; Sustainable Consumption; Digital Technologies; Conscious Consumerism

Paper Title

AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS: PRODUCTIVITY, MARKETS, INSTITUTIONS AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF GAINS

Abstract

Agricultural economics has evolved from farm management and commodity marketing into a broad field that addresses technological change, market institutions, rural poverty, resource sustainability and public policy. This article offers a critical, literature-informed synthesis of that field. It argues that productivity growth is a necessary but insufficient condition for improvements in farmer welfare, because the translation of higher output into household income is mediated by input and credit constraints, risk, tenure arrangements, market structure and the incidence of public policy. Drawing on production theory, the agricultural household model, transaction-cost economics and institutional analysis, the article examines efficiency and technology adoption, price formation and transmission, risk and financial markets, land and labour institutions, food security, climate adaptation and government intervention. Two stylized figures, computed from stated assumptions and explicitly illustrative, show how binding input constraints truncate the gains from improved technology and how institutional context alters the division of those gains. The article concludes that agricultural policy should be assessed jointly on productivity, distributional and environmental criteria, and it identifies priorities for future research.
KEYWORDS : agricultural economics; productivity; technological change; market imperfections; rural poverty; agricultural policy; climate adaptation; income distribution