bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pesticide Residue Risk and Food Safety Valuation: A Random Utility Approach
Authors: Eom Young Sook 
Published: July 2006

AbstractA new approach is developed for integrating consumers' risk perceptions with stated purchase behavior when consumption decisions must be made with incomplete information. The application involves health risks from exposure to pesticide residues on fresh produce. Unlike traditional food demand analysis, the present approach treats produce choices as discrete outcomes, resulting in a random utility model. Empirical results from a pilot survey suggest a clear linkage between perceptions and behavior in response to new risk information. Consumers' stated preferences for safer produce were primarily influenced by price differences and perceived risks, not by the technical risk information provided alone. However, the linkage between behavior and valuation was less clear cut. The risk/price tradeoffs entailed by contingent discrete choices indicate high price premia for small risk reductions and little variation in price premium across alternative risk reductions.
Modeling Regional Agricultural Production and Salinity Control Alternatives for Water Quality Policy Analysis
Authors: Lee Donna J. , Howitt Richard E. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractWater development and allocation to competing uses without well‐defined water quality rights contribute to water use externalities. Federal legislation to address the salinity externalities in the Colorado River Basin comprises a set of arbitrary quality standards and millions of dollars in federal projects. This study specifies economic criteria to empirically determine first‐ and second‐best quality standards and to indicate opportunities for efficiency gains in existing policy. A basin‐wide, nonlinear programming model optimizes river water quality, resource allocation, production levels, and total expenditures for control. Revealed are the economic tradeoffs between water uses, regions, and control strategies.
Food Price Variability and Economic Reform: An ARCH Approach for Ghana
Authors: Shively Gerald E. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractChanges in maize price levels and variability in Ghana are investigated. A model of wholesale price determination is reviewed in which grain stocks are held for speculative storage as well as export to neighboring countries in the Sahel. To test the model, an Autoregressive Conditionally Heteroskedastic (ARCH) regression is applied to monthly maize data for two markets over the period 1978–93. The regression is used to measure changes in maize price volatility in Ghana, and to infer the importance of past prices, domestic and regional production, and commodity storage and trade in explaining these changes.
Asymmetry and Nonstationarity in the Farm Size Distribution of Wisconsin Milk Producers: An Aggregate Analysis
Authors: Zepeda Lydia 
Published: July 2006

AbstractA Markov model is developed to test the nonstationarity and asymmetry of factors affecting the evolution of Wisconsin dairy farms using aggregate data. The model is used to examine how prices, interest rates, debt, drought, and the dairy termination program affected farm growth and the entry and exit of Wisconsin dairy farms by size categories during 1972–92.
The Behavior of Forward‐Looking Firms in the Very Short Run
Authors: Lence Sergio H. , Hayes Dermot J. , Meyers William H. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe study develops a theory of very‐short‐run forward‐looking behavior allowing for forward trading and storage of final good and material input. Production and storage are separable from hedging decisions and depend only upon current forward and cash prices. Comparative statics are derived regarding production, purchases, and sales. The hypotheses advanced are tested with monthly data pertaining to the U.S. soybean‐processing industry. Results suggest that in short‐run equilibrium futures prices of the soybean complex have had little influence on crushings or production, but they have been important determinants of inventory levels.
Investment Demand When Economic Depreciation is Stochastic
Authors: Fousekis Panos , Shortle James S. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe neoclassical model of investment by a risk‐neutral firm is generalized to include uncertainty about the rate of depreciation by replacing the deterministic capital accumulation identity with a stochastic variant. Ito's stochastic dynamic optimization is used to derive conditions for optimal investment. A nondegenerate steady‐state distribution of the capital stock is shown to exist and is derived for the empirically important case of a normalized quadratic profit function and static price expectations. It is demonstrated for this case that uncertainty about the rate of depreciation decreases the expected steady‐state capital stock and investment.
Regulating Nonpoint Source Pollution Under Heterogeneous Conditions
Authors: Helfand Gloria E. , House Brett W. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractBecause of difficulties in measuring effluent from nonpoint pollution, proposals for regulating agricultural runoff often suggest instruments applied to inputs or management practices. When pollution functions vary across sources, uniform input instruments cannot achieve a least‐cost pollution reduction, but efficient instruments may be difficult to administer. In this paper we analyze lettuce production on two soils in California's Salinas Valley to consider empirical costs associated with uniform input taxes and regulations. The results suggest that uniform instruments may not be costly relative to an efficient baseline. Though taxes are more efficient, farmers have higher profits with regulations.
The Former Soviet Union and the World Wheat Economy
Authors: Jones James R. , Li Shuang L. , Devadoss Stephen , Fedane Charlotte (Jensen) 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe impacts of the former Soviet Union leaving the world wheat market as a consistent net importer are investigated using a modified spatial trade equilibrium model. The simulation results suggest that the former Soviet Union, following Bigman's stochastic trade hypothesis, can have a stabilizing role in the future world wheat economy.
Adoption of a Politicized Technology: bST and Wisconsin Dairy Farmers
Authors: Barham Bradford L. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractTechnologies that are the focus of extensive public debate prior to commercialization may have diffusion paths which are distinct from the classic sigmoid shape often used by economists. Descriptive and econometric analysis of ex ante and ex post data on bovine somatotropin use by Wisconsin dairy farmers reveal that this controversial technology has a relatively low adoption rate and little prospect for adoption growth in the near future. Further research on potential adoption outcomes for technologies that are politicized prior to commercialization could improve economists' predictive capacities.
The Effect of Agricultural Policies on Land Use and Environmental Quality
Authors: Plantinga Andrew J. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractIn this paper I consider the environmental quality gains that may be achieved by reducing agricultural income supports. A new methodology is developed to estimate land use shares. In an application to Wisconsin, milk price support reductions result in shifts of marginal agricultural land to forest, reducing soil erosion and providing off‐site water quality improvements. The environmental benefits are estimated to be at least as large as the decreased welfare burden on consumers and taxpayers, indicating a central role for environmental quality considerations in motivating policy reforms and a more efficient means of achieving the environmental quality goals of land retirement programs.
Structural Change in Factor Demand Relationships in the U.S. Food and Kindred Products Industry
Authors: Goodwin Barry K. , Brester Gary W. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThis analysis utilizes multivariate gradual switching regression techniques and Bayesian inferential procedures to evaluate structural change in factor demand relationships in the food manufacturing industry. Food materials are included as an input into the food manufacturing industry. The results confirm a significant gradual structural change that initiated in 1980. Price elasticities indicate that the demands for raw food materials and energy have become more elastic while the demand for labor has become less elastic. Morishima elasticities of substitution indicate that nearly all factors are substitutes and that the degree of substitutability has significantly increased in recent years.
Using Benefit‐Cost Criteria for Settling Federalism Disputes: An Application to Food Safety Regulation
Authors: Caswell Julie A. , Kleinschmit v. L. Jaana K. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractFederalism disputes arising from state regulations, particularly those pursuing health, safety, and environmental goals, are common in the U.S. political system. Discussion of bases for settling such disputes often focuses on the in‐ and out‐state incidence of benefits and costs, but incidence is a complex concept that has not been systematically analyzed. We discuss five dimensions important to evaluating incidence and present benefit‐cost spillover criteria for judging federalism disputes. When applied to a Massachusetts regulation of Alar residues in heat‐processed apple products, the criteria reach different conclusions on its appropriateness, highlighting key considerations in evaluating state regulation in a federal system.
Water Conservation Policy Analysis: An Interregional, Multi‐Output, Primal‐Dual Optimization Approach
Authors: Schaible Glenn D. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractAn interregional, multi‐output, normalized restricted‐equilibrium model of field‐crop agriculture is estimated within the context of a multistage, programming‐based, system estimation procedure. Implicit, total economic‐cost functions endogenize behavioral, opportunity adjustment costs of fixed and allocatable land and water resources. Crop‐specific, Marshallian water‐demand elasticities are estimated for restricted and unrestricted groundwater substitution environments, and decomposed by water source. Elasticities are inelastic, but water‐price policy reform can be an effective water‐conservation policy tool when groundwater use is unrestricted. When groundwater use is restricted, effective conservation policy requires more dramatic water‐price policy reform.
A Biophysical Model of Corn Yield: Integrating Climatic and Social Determinants
Authors: Kaufmann Robert K. , Snell Seth E. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractWe estimate a model that accounts for both climatic and social determinants of corn yield in the United States. Climate variables are specified for periods that correspond to phenological stages of development. Social determinants include market conditions, technical factors, scale of production, and the policy environment. The model accounts for the historical and cross‐sectional variation in yield, and the interpretation of coefficients is consistent with independent analyses of the climatic and social determinants. The hybrid model provides a framework for assessing the effect of, and adaptation to, climate change.
Systemic Risk, Reinsurance, and the Failure of Crop Insurance Markets
Authors: Miranda Mario J. , Glauber Joseph W. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractWithout affordable reinsurance, private crop insurance markets are doomed to fail because systemic weather effects induce high correlation among farm‐level yields, defeating insurer efforts to pool risks across farms. Using an empirical model of the U.S. crop insurance market, we find that U.S. crop insurer portfolios are twenty to fifty times riskier than they would be otherwise if yields were stochastically independent across farms. We also find that area yield reinsurance contracts would enable crop insurers to cover most of their systemic crop loss risk, reducing their risk exposure to levels typically experienced by more conventional property liability insurers.
Functional Form and Welfare Measures in Truncated Recreation Demand Models
Authors: Ozuna Teofilo , Jones Lonnie L. , Capps Oral 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThis article examines the effect on welfare measures of functional form choice and sample truncation. A truncated general Box‐Cox model is developed for discriminating between alternative truncated functional forms. The model is applied to the valuation of three Texas coastal recreation sites. Neither the truncated double‐log nor the truncated semilog forms are appropriate for the truncated data used in the empirical analysis. Different functional forms yield different consumer's surplus estimates when samples are truncated.
Bycatch Control in Multispecies Fisheries: A Quasi‐rent Share Approach to the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands Midwater Trawl Pollock Fishery
Authors: Larson Douglas M. , House Brett W. , Terry Joseph M. 
Published: July 2006

Abstract“Optimal” bycatch rules and quota share price estimates are derived from a multispecies production technology model of the factory trawler fleet targeting on midwater pollock in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands region of the North Pacific Ocean. Data routinely collected by federal and state fisheries officials on catch and revenue by species, week, and operation are used to identify the aggregate restricted quasi‐rent function for the fishery by estimating the associated system of inverse demands for species quotas. The model is estimated using data for the 1991 and 1992 seasons, and separability and nonjointness of the technology are tested for and rejected.
Factors Affecting the Timing of Purchasing of Butter, Margarine, and Blends: A Competing Goods Analysis
Authors: Gould Brian W. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe purchase dynamics of a subset of food fats and oils are investigated using event‐history analysis applied to a panel of U.S. households. The consumer behavior examined is the switching between purchases of butter, margarine, and butter/margarine blends across purchase occasions. We find that price, previous purchases, seasonality, and household size and composition affect product‐switching probability.
The Effects of Crop Yield Insurance Designs on Farmer Participation and Welfare
Authors: Wang H. Holly , Hanson Steven D. , Myers Robert J. , Black J. Roy 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe performance of individual farm yield and area yield crop insurance programs is evaluated for a representative Iowa corn farm using numerical optimization of expected utility and simulation techniques. Several different contract design features are studied, including the nature of the yield index which triggers insurance payouts, alternative restrictions on coverage levels, and alternative pricing structures. Performance is evaluated in terms of impacts on farmer participation and welfare and is examined in a portfolio setting where futures and options are also available to farmers. The relative performance of different crop insurance designs is found to be particularly sensitive to restrictions on coverage levels, the size of premium loadings, and the degree to which individual farm yields are correlated with area yields.
Recovering Output‐Specific Inputs from Aggregate Input Data: A Generalized Cross‐Entropy Approach
Authors: Lence Sergio H. , Miller Douglas J. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractFor multiproduct firms, data on aggregate input usage are typically available but data on activity‐specific inputs are not. The present study proposes a generalized cross‐entropy approach to estimate activity‐specific input allocations that are consistent with the aggregate information. The proposed method does not require behavioral assumptions (e.g., profit maximization) but does accommodate behavioral restrictions as well as nonsample information about the plausible factor shares across enterprises. Monte Carlo experiments using simulated data for multifactor‐multiproduct firms are used to evaluate the performance of the proposed method.
Structural Versus Reduced‐Form Estimation of Optimal Stopping Problems
Authors: Provencher Bill 
Published: July 2006

AbstractIn this paper I examine several statistical, interpretive, and policy implications of reduced‐form (probit or logit) estimation of optimal stopping problems. The discussion proceeds in the context of an examination of the timber harvest decision of nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) owners. For a large class of optimal stopping problems a reduced‐form model which closely approximates the statistical performance of its structural counterpart is readily found. Still, failure to properly interpret the relationship between the reduced‐form model and the underlying optimal stopping problem invites flawed econometric analysis and inappropriate interpretation of reduced‐form coefficients.
The Meaning of Kinship in Sharecropping Contracts
Authors: Sadoulet Elisabeth , de Janvry Alain , Fukui Seiichi 
Published: July 2006

AbstractAnalysis of a household survey from the Philippines shows that the behavior of sharecroppers with a kinship relation with their landlord is not affected by the disincentive effects of product and factor sharing, while behavior of the other sharecroppers responds to the contract terms. We characterize the meaning of kinship ties through a survey of opinion conducted among tenants. The survey shows that kin landlords help or are expected to help more frequently in case of emergency than other landlords, and they do so with a wider range of instruments, providing the incentive for cooperative behavior in sharecropping contracts among kin.
Dynamics of Beef Cow Herd Size: An Inventory Approach
Authors: Schmitz John D. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractCow herd inventories are the primary determinant of beef supply. The principal decisions determining inventories are studied in a dynamic framework. Short‐run and long‐run impacts of one‐time shocks in economic factors influencing culling and replacement decisions are estimated via simulations. Changes in economic factors have the greatest impact on younger members of the herd. These changes have long‐term impacts on inventories through their influence on age dynamics. Impacts on age dynamics could influence the cattle cycle.
Technical Change and Model Specification: U.S. Agricultural Production
Authors: Lim Hongil , Shumway C. Richard 
Published: July 2006

AbstractU.S. agricultural crop and livestock relationships are examined in the context of both duality and time‐series econometrics. Based on time‐series test results, cointegrated models are estimated. Traditional models generally overestimated the precision of statistical relationships and gave a considerable number of spurious results, particularly with regard to technical change. When time‐series properties of the data were addressed, there was much less evidence of bias in technical change. Model specification test results were sensitive both to the time‐series specification of the maintained model and its functional form. Preferred functional form depended on the choice criterion.
Dietary Bounds and Unshackled Demand Specifications
Authors: Driscoll Paul J. , McGuirk Anya M. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractConventional tests of revealed preference axioms (WARP and GARP) may yield false rejections of the hypothesis of a unique preference ordering when consumers face constraints in addition to a budget constraint. In this paper, nonparametric tests of WARP and GARP are generalized for consumers who enforce multiple constraints. In conjunction with conventional tests, the modified tests are used to reject meat demand specifications that are functions solely of price and expenditure variables. Richer specifications that include consumer perceptions of the fat content of meats and the fat constraint value in addition to conventional price and expenditure variables cannot be rejected.
The Dynamics of Convenience and the Brazilian Soybean Boom
Authors: Frechette Darren L. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractU.S. and Brazilian soybeans are harvested on an alternating semiannual cycle that generates predictable dynamic behavior in the soybean futures market. Because corn and soybeans are storage substitutes, their physical storage costs move together and can be isolated separately from crop‐specific marginal convenience yields along the futures price profile. The Kaldor‐Working convenience yield hypothesis is tested for the international soybean market and storage risk is measured.
Variations on Invariance or Some Unpleasant Nonparametric Arithmetic
Authors: Chalfant James A. , Zhang Bin 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe nonparametric approach to production or demand analysis involves testing data for compatibility with restrictions from theory. This avoids reliance on particular functional forms. When the data are not consistent with utility or profit maximization, adjustments in the data using linear programming can restore consistency. Such adjustments have been interpreted as taste changes or measures of technical change and technical change bias. This paper describes nonparametric approaches and shows that the programming methods that have been used yield results that are not invariant to the scaling of prices and quantities. A solution is proposed that solves the invariance problem.
On Price Indices in the Almost Ideal Demand System
Authors: Asche Frank , Wessells Cathy R. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractA number of papers have discussed the relationship between the Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS) and its linear approximation (LA/AIDS). In this paper, it is shown that if the prices in the system are normalized to one, the AIDS and LA/AIDS representations are identical at the point of normalization. Also, at the point of normalization, the expressions for price and expenditure elasticities from both systems are identical.
Demand for Prepared Meals by U.S. Households
Authors: Park John L. , Capps Oral 
Published: July 2006

AbstractUsing the 1987–88 NFCS, a Heckman two‐stage procedure was used to estimate the demand for prepared meals by U.S. households. Prepared meals were defined as those ready to eat and those ready to cook. Households headed by younger, more educated, and time‐constrained managers were more likely to purchase prepared meals. Income elasticities ranged from 0.07 to 0.13, while own‐price elasticities ranged from −0.23 to −0.66. Evidence exists to indicate that prepared meals and food‐away‐from‐home are substitutes. The presence of teenagers in a household is positively associated with expenditures of prepared meals.
Effects of the Internal Wage on Output Supply: A Structural Estimation for Japanese Rice Farmers
Authors: Sonoda Tadashi , Maruyama Yoshihiro 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe “shadow” or “internal” wage plays a crucial role, via the “internal wage effect,” in models of agricultural households with absent or constrained off‐farm wage employment. To verify its empirical relevance, parameters of the production and welfare functions are estimated for Japanese rice farmers. It is inferred from this structural estimation that their off‐farm wage employment is actually constrained and that the “internal wage effect” of changes in the price of rice significantly influences their supply of rice.
Estimation of Demand Functions Using Cross‐Sectional Household Data: The Problem Revisited
Authors: Dong Diansheng , Shonkwiler J.S. , Capps Oral 
Published: July 2006

AbstractA procedure that corrects for selectivity bias is proposed to estimate demand functions using cross‐sectional data under the assumption that prices vary across households. This procedure, which extends the work by Cox and Wohlgenant, includes a two‐equation system of expenditure and unit value functions. This model is applied to household expenditures for beef steaks and roasts.