The expected net return to storage is conventionally calculated as the expected change in price over the storage period minus the cost of storage. However, this value is almost always negative, thus raising the question why would anyone store. Numerous explanations have been proposed, but none...

An updated supply of storage equation is estimated to reflect recent developments in the theoretical and empirical literature. Among the findings is an inverse relationship between storage cost adjusted price spread and a proxy measure of convenience yield, and a curvilinear relationship between...

The value of the timing option implicit in CBOT corn futures contract is estimated. Separate estimates are obtained for the option without and with convenience yield. The effect of the option on basis behavior at day one of the maturity month is examined and is found statistically significant.

Optimal recycling of minerals can be thought of as an integral part of the theory of the mine. In this paper, we consider the role that wastewater recycling plays in the optimal extraction of groundwater, a renewable resource. We develop a two-sector dynamic optimization model to solve for the...

We empirically address the implications of biofuel policy regarding major grains, to the subsequent evolution of the markets for calories from the three major grains, maize, wheat and rice. The implied market variables, namely, market price, consumption, and stocks, using a structurally...

I argue that progress in understanding economic development (as in other branches of economics)must come from the investigation of mechanisms; the associated empirical analysis can usefully employa wide range of experimental and non-experimental methods. I discuss three different areas of...