Australia has long been considered a commodity based economy, with the relationship between the terms of trade and the real exchange rate well documented. Less well documented are the determinants of the Australian terms of trade and how these have moved in response to structural change and...

The Australian dollar is considered primarily a commodity-based currency. The high level of commodity-based exports in Australia’s trade balance is given as an explanation. Accordingly changes in world commodity prices should bring commensurate changes in the value of the Australian...

The Australian dollar is considered a commodity-based currency, with the high level of primary commodity exports in Australia’s trade balance given as an explanation. Key studies have concluded that Australia’s terms of trade are a primary driver of the real exchange rate based on a...

A buffer fund scheme has been proposed as a means of stabilizing producer revenue in the Australian beef industry. In this paper the economic consequences of such a policy are evaluated and the conditions under which the scheme would be successful in achieving its principal aim are indicated. In...

Under the sponsorship of the University of Sydney, on 5-6th December 2002 the future of farm management in Australia was discussed. The fundamental conclusion achieved by key primary industry representatives, corporate executives, academics, consultants and researchers is that farm management...

The farm-household system of smallholders in semi-arid eastern Kenya is described. This is followed by a review of the extent of adoption of a set of new practices. A lexicographic utility framework is then developed to analyse the interaction between household goals and technology adoption. The...

In this paper a description is provided of the development and use of a target-MOTAD model for use in consultative work with farmers who are under financial pressure. The analysis of downside risk and introduction of a trade-off between financial and business risks are key features of this model...

A decision theoretic approach to agricultural policy decision making is examined to discover whether a utility function of an Australian Wool Corporation decision maker can be established and, if so, whether this can be used to improve the policy analysing performance of an agricultural sector...