In their 1963 classic Scarcity and Growth Howard Barnett and Chandler Morse argued that resource scarcity did not threaten economic growth. A second investigation in the late 1970s, Scarcity and Growth Reconsidered, reached largely the same conclusion. The 25 years since that work was published...

This paper analyzes changes in U.S. agricultural technology during 1960-1999, emphasizing the role of immigrant workers on farm mechanization. The rates and directions of biased technological change based on the induced innovation theory are compared before and after the passage of the...

The production structure of Tunisian agriculture over the last three decades is investigated using a translog variable cost function. Standard results of neoclassical duality theory are used to obtain measures of elasticities of substitution between inputs, price elasticities of factor demands...

This research examines the effect of a government sponsored technology transfer program for small holder farms in Chile. The effect of family participation in the technology transfer program is evaluated with respect to a number of 'outcomes' including its effect on farm revenues, total family...

Using household survey data from seven provinces in China, this study provides estimates of the price responsiveness of feed demand by traditional and specialized household pork and poultry producers. Estimated elasticities are used to simulate the impacts of structural change in China's...

It is well recognized that the statistical reliability of the conventional method of estimating the effects of technological change on producer welfare is often quite poor. I present a method that enhances the statistical reliability of such estimates. I emphasize that when measuring the welfare...

The paper investigates the linkages between technological change and production risk, with an application to corn. The effects of technology on risk exposure are analyzed. We define technological progress to be risk-increasing (risk-decreasing) if it increases (decreases) the relative risk...

It has often been hypothesized that new agricultural technologies could have an adverse impact on women because additional labor required of them reduces the time spent and therefore income earned from private-field activities. This study shows that the expansion of cotton cultivation on the...

Numerous high-yielding modern maize varieties have been developed for Malawi. However, their performance and returns when managed under real-world conditions are generally unknown. We have used new cross section data to generate insights into the performance of these maize varieties. We first...

The universities main contributions to the development of Brazilian agribusiness are human capital formation and technology generation. High-quality professionals trained in universities are allocated to research, teaching, extension and as managers in the various links of the agribusiness...