Mechanisms of property rights protection in dairy agro-industrial systems: A study in Paraná, Brazil, and old Midi-Pyrénées, France

Abstract Purpose: This study aims to understand the mechanisms of property rights guarantee in the dairy agro-industrial system (DAGS) in Paraná, Brazil, and in the old Midi-Pyrénées region, France. Originality/value: From a complementary perspective of Transaction Cost Theory and Measurement Cost Theory, the proposal in the study is that the use of mechanisms to guarantee property rights through safeguards, parameters, measurement, agreements, or litigation contributes to the transaction of differentiated products and also to the protection of these rights, favoring systems improvement. Design/method/approach: A descriptive qualitative study was done, encompassing 25 semi-structured interviews with producers, processors, and key agents of the DAGS in the state of Paraná in Brazil and in the old Midi-Pyrénées region of France, in 2016 and 2017. Qualitative content analysis was performed with NVivo Pro software. Findings: It was identified that in France and in the central-eastern and western regions of Paraná, the use of complementary protection property rights mechanisms (safeguards, parameters, measurement, agreements, or litigation) allows higher quality milk transactions and reinvestments in production by agents, contributing to system improvement. In the northern region of Paraná, the limited use of property rights mechanisms (verbal agreement, measurement, unreliable information sharing, and the absence of ex post protection) allows minimal quality milk trans actions and restricts reinvestments in production, limiting systems improvement.

摘要
研究目的：本研究旨在探究巴西巴拉那州（Paraná）乳制品农工系统（Dairy Agro-Industrial System, DAGS）与法国旧米迪-比利牛斯地区的产权保障运作机制。
原创性/价值：本研究从交易成本理论与计量成本理论的互补视角出发，提出通过保障措施、参数设定、计量环节、协议或诉讼等路径运用产权保障机制，既有助于差异化产品的交易，亦能对产权形成有效保护，进而推动系统的优化升级。
研究设计与方法：本研究采用描述性质性研究方法，于2016年至2017年间，对巴西巴拉那州与法国旧米迪-比利牛斯地区乳制品农工系统的生产者、加工者及核心参与主体开展25场半结构化访谈，并借助NVivo Pro软件完成质性内容分析。
研究发现：研究表明，在法国、巴拉那州中东部及西部地区，互补性产权保护机制（包括保障措施、参数设定、计量环节、协议或诉讼）的运用可实现更高质量的牛乳交易，并推动参与主体对生产进行再投资，进而助力系统优化；而在巴拉那州北部地区，产权保障机制的使用较为有限（仅包含口头协议、计量环节、不可靠的信息共享，且缺乏事后保护措施），仅能实现低质量的牛乳交易，限制了主体对生产的再投资，进而阻碍了系统的优化升级。