The dissertation mainly consists of two articles: INVESTMENTS IN KAZAKHSTANI DAIRY FARMING: A COMPARISON OF THE CLASSICAL INVESTMENT THEORY AND THE REAL OPTIONS APPROACH Abstract This study analyzes the explanatory potential of the real options approach (ROA) regarding the reluctance of...

This paper discusses the real options approach to investment. Real options facilitate an analysis of investment under uncertainty explicitly taking into account irreversibility of the investment decision and flexibility with respect to the investment timing. This is achieved by exploiting the...

This paper shows how agent-based stochastic approaches can provide a complementary and more flexible approach to study investment incentives and price dynamics in a real options framework. We particularly study the case of two-stage production chains in which one sector produces an intermediate...

In this study, we experimentally analyze the investment behavior of smallholder farmers in Uganda. We consider a problem of optimal stopping, stylizing an option to invest in a project. We ascertain whether, and to what extent, the real options approach and the classical investment theory can...

In order to stimulate investments, agricultural policies frequently use price floors, which guarantee a price above a certain limit. In some cases, however, a price floor does not have the desired effects. In this study, we experimentally analyse differences in the investment be-haviour with...

In this study, we experimentally analyze the investment behavior of smallholder farmers in Uganda. We ascertain whether, and to what extent, the real options approach and the classical investment theory can predict farmers’ investment behaviors. We also examine differences in the investment...

In order to stimulate investments, agricultural policies frequently use price floors, which guarantee a price above a certain limit. In some cases, however, a price floor does not have the desired effects. In this study, we experimentally analyse differences in the investment behaviour with...

In consequence of changes in general conditions, a higher level of investments and disinvestments in agriculture can be expected. To date, however, there are no policy impact analyses on both investments and disinvestments in competitive agricultural markets in a dynamic-stochastic context. This...