Governments in less developed countries have recognized
in recent years the need to liberalize economic policies in
order to increase efficiency in agricultural commodity
markets. In an attempt to help decision makers assess
alternative choices, most policy studies, however, have
focused on the efficiency norm criterion without much
consideration for...
This study is a policy analysis of the incentives, including fee hunting, as a means to promote wildlife habitat development on private agricultural land. The management of habitat for migratory waterfowl in Western Oregon was investigated as a case study. Three separate analysis techniques were employed, presented as independent manuscripts....
Development research and policy aim to improve household welfare by improving access to assets and economic opportunities (Besley & Burgess 2000; Deininger et al. 2003). In rural and agrarian contexts, these goals may be achieved by well-functioning markets for outputs, inputs, off-farm work, and credit. The status of these markets...
This ethnographic research aims to discover the implications of the
commodification of production processes amongst the Ersu Tibetans of Sichuan,
China. This thesis examines the commodification of Ersu agriculture and ethnic
identity in the historical context of both China and the world-system. Ethnohistorical
and ethnoecological methodologies are utilized to answer...
The biorevolution in the 1970’s greatly stimulated investment in life-science
research. The present dissertation is aimed at evaluating the impact of US public
investment on industrial investment in life-science research. The focus is on three major
life-science fields: biology, medicine, and agriculture. A dynamic model of industrial
R&D investment is...
This ethnographic study examined some of the ways that global markets and the infrastructure of agribusiness affect local smallholder farmers in the Ten Rivers region who are transitioning toward more sustainable and traditional agricultural methods. The purpose of this research was to discover what barriers smallholder farmers face in developing...
The U.S. farm sector has undergone dramatic structural change during the
past fifty years, a chief result being that the number of large farms has increased
relative to the number of small farms. Numerous agricultural policies have been
instituted, with the partial objective of preserving the family farm. At the...