Foundations of Agricultural Market Analysis and Agricultural Policy
Zusammenfassung
Ulrich Koester researches and teaches at the Institute for Agricultural Economics at the Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Germany. He has been a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forestry for over 20 years. Moreover, he gained experience working with the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington D.C. and with numerous international organizations, including the World Bank, FAO, the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Court of Auditors. His teaching experience is based on courses taught at more than ten universities in general economics and agricultural economics.
Part I of the book lays the theoretical foundations for understanding price formation in product and factor markets. In addition to neoclassical theory, institutional economics is of particular importance. Part II presents and evaluates agricultural policy with special reference to the EU, whereby the evaluation framework goes beyond the usual welfare theory analysis. The book is also a valuable aid for students of economic policy, especially because of its detailed evaluation of individual agricultural market policy instruments. The book is aimed at students at universities, technical colleges as well as politicians interested in rational agricultural policy making.
Abstract
Ulrich Koester researches and teaches at the Institute for Agricultural Economics at the Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Germany. He has been a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forestry for over 20 years. Moreover, he gained experience working with the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington D.C. and with numerous international organizations, including the World Bank, FAO, the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Court of Auditors. His teaching experience is based on courses taught at more than ten universities in general economics and agricultural economics.
Part I of the book lays the theoretical foundations for understanding price formation in product and factor markets. In addition to neoclassical theory, institutional economics is of particular importance. Part II presents and evaluates agricultural policy with special reference to the EU, whereby the evaluation framework goes beyond the usual welfare theory analysis. The book is also a valuable aid for students of economic policy, especially because of its detailed evaluation of individual agricultural market policy instruments. The book is aimed at students at universities, technical colleges as well as politicians interested in rational agricultural policy making.
- Kapitel Ausklappen | EinklappenSeiten
- I–X Titelei/Inhaltsverzeichnis I–X
- 1–12 Chapter 1: Introduction 1–12
- 1.1 Concept, delimitation and tasks of the “agricultural market analysis and agricultural policy”
- 1.2 Structure of the book
- 13–174 Part I: Foundations of Agricultural Market Analysis 13–174
- 13–74 Chapter 2: Demand for Agricultural Products and Agricultural Inputs 13–74
- 2.1 Classification of Agricultural Products
- 2.2 The demand for food from conventional agricultural production at the consumer level in the context of search goods
- 2.2.1 Importance of consumer behavior
- 2.2.2 Determinants of demand for rational behavior
- 2.3 Special characteristics of food demand for conventionally produced products, in the case of experience and credence goods
- 2.4 Special characteristics of demand for ecologically produced food
- 2.5 Demand for means of production of agricultural origin
- 2.6 Policy issues
- 2.6.1 Information problems
- 2.6.2 Divergence between private and social marginal willingness to pay
- 2.6.3 Problem of demand for environmental goods
- 2.6.4 Divergence between market prices and macro economic shadow prices
- 2.6.5 Transaction costs
- 75–104 Chapter 3: The Supply of Agricultural Products 75–104
- 3.1 Determinants of the Supply of Agricultural Products
- 3.2 The Concept of the Supply Curve in the Objective of Profit Maximization
- 3.3 Elasticity analysis
- 3.4 Determinants of change in the supply over time
- 3.5 Policy issues
- 3.5.1 Alternative targets
- 3.5.2 Target restrictions
- 3.5.3 Relevance of transaction costs
- 3.5.4 Divergences in production
- 105–174 Chapter 4: Agricultural price formation 105–174
- 4.1 Classification of markets
- 4.2 Product and factor pricing with complete competition
- 4.3 Product and factor pricing in monopolies
- 4.4 Determinants of price relations under competitive conditions
- 4.4.1 Determinants of the development of product price relations
- 4.4.2 Determinants of the relation between producer and consumer prices
- 4.4.3 Determinants of interregional price differences
- 4.4.4 Determinants of the intertemporal price relations
- 4.5 Fluctuations in agricultural prices
- 4.5.1 Cyclical fluctuations in agricultural prices
- 4.5.2 Random fluctuations in agricultural prices
- 4.6 Importance of transaction costs for price formation
- 4.7 Assessment of the price mechanism as a coordination instrument and alternative coordination mechanisms
- 4.7.1 Price mechanism and macroeconomic optimum with full competition
- 4.7.2 Alternative decision-making mechanisms
- 4.8 The importance of deficiencies in information for the development of agricultural prices
- 175–418 Part II: Agricultural Policy 175–418
- 175–220 Chapter 5: Agricultural markets as a policy problem 175–220
- 5.1 The problems of agriculture
- 5.2 Food security concerns
- 5.3 Agricultural income
- 5.4 Efficiency in agriculture
- 5.5 Stability of markets
- 5.6 Food safety concerns
- 5.7 Environmental concerns
- 5.8 A model of the decision-making process
- 5.9 Constraints on policy makers
- 5.10 Instruments applied
- 5.11 Import regulations
- 5.12 Export regulations
- 5.13 Domestic market regulations
- 5.14 Rural development policy: The case of the European Union
- 5.15 Conclusion
- 221–240 Chapter 6: Policy makers and objectives of the EU agricultural policy 221–240
- 6.1 Possible contribution of scientists to the setting of agricultural policy objectives
- 6.2 Importance of objective variables’ development for the evaluation of the practical agricultural policy
- 6.3 Officially declared objectives of agricultural policy in the FR of Germany and the EU
- 6.4 Actors of agricultural policy
- 6.4.1 Definition and scope of action
- 6.4.2 Decision-makers relevant to agricultural policy at EU level
- 6.4.3 Problems of having a large number of agricultural policy makers
- 241–330 Chapter 7: Instruments of EU agricultural policy 241–330
- 7.1 An economic evaluation framework
- 7.1.1 Reasons for policy changes
- 7.1.2 Price and quantity effects
- 7.1.3 Classification from the perspective of Ordnungspolitik (regulatory classification)
- 7.1.4 Welfare effects
- 7.1.5 Distribution effects
- 7.1.6 Budgetary effects
- 7.1.7 Effects on international trade
- 7.1.8 Administrative feasibility
- 7.2 Reasons for, and problems of, lack of clarity in assessment
- 7.3 Economic analysis of selected instruments
- 7.3.1 Systematics of the use of agricultural policy instruments
- 7.3.2 Impact analysis of selected instruments of foreign trade regulations
- 7.3.3 Impact analysis of selected instruments for domestic regulation
- 331–366 Chapter 8: On the political economy of EU agricultural market policy: Why is the policy as it is? 331–366
- 8.1 Reasons for the existence of different levels of protection in industrialized and developing countries
- 8.1.1 Income distribution effects
- 8.1.2 The political power of interest groups
- 8.1.3 Society’s social preferences
- 8.2 Reasons for differences in levels of protection between industrialized countries
- 8.2.1 The importance of the initial situation
- 8.2.2 The importance of the domestic supply situation and the level of government expenditure
- 8.2.3 The importance of the relative income situation in agriculture
- 8.3 Reasons for the varying degrees of protection for individual agricultural products
- 8.3.1 The importance of the domestic supply situation
- 8.3.2 The importance of supply and demand elasticities
- 8.4 Reasons for the selection and dosage of the set of instruments
- 8.4.1 The importance of products’ storage capability
- 8.4.2 The importance of being able to introduce quotas
- 8.4.3 Preference for less transparent measures
- 8.4.4 Delay in the application of appropriate measures
- 8.4.5 Preference for instruments with quick effects
- 8.4.6 Preference for measures that increase the intensity of regulation
- 8.5 Political-economic analysis of EU agricultural market policy
- 8.5.1 Actors in EU agricultural market policy
- 8.5.2 Institutions in the common agricultural policy
- 8.5.3 Political-economic explanation and the real development of EU agricultural market policy
- 367–408 Chapter 9: Basic principles of the EU agricultural market organizations, development and perspectives 367–408
- 9.1 Basic principles of EU market organizations
- 9.1.1 The basic principle of “market unity”
- 9.1.2 The basic principle of ‘Community preference for agricultural products’
- 9.1.3 The basic principle of ‘financial solidarity’
- 9.2 Development of EU agricultural market policy
- 9.3 Perspectives of the EU agricultural market policy as seen in 2005
- 409–418 Chapter 10: Epilog 409–418
- 10.1 Financial forces due to the exit of the UK as a member of the EU
- 10.2 The impact of past decisions and the decision rule
- 10.3 The problem of direct income support linked to agricultural land
- 419–434 References 419–434
- 419–420 1. General References 419–420
- 1.1 Empirical and actual Information
- 1.2 Overall references
- 421–421 Chapter 1: Introduction 421–421
- 422–422 Chapter 2: The Demand for Agricultural Products 422–422
- 423–423 Chapter 3: The Supply of Agricultural Products 423–423
- 423–424 Chapter 4: Agricultural Price Formation 423–424
- 425–425 Chapter 5: Agricultural Markets as a Policy Problem 425–425
- 426–426 Chapter 6: Objectives of Agricultural Policies and Actors 426–426
- 426–427 Chapter 7: Instruments of Agricultural Policies 426–427
- 428–429 Chapter 8: Political Economy of Agricultural Policy: Why is the Policy as it is? 428–429
- 430–431 Chapter 9: Principles of EU Market Organizations: Development and Perspectives 430–431
- 432–434 Chapter 10: Epilog 432–434
- 435–440 Index 435–440
