The Economics of Agriculture

D. Gale Johnson, one of the world's foremost agricultural economists, has over the last five decades changed the conduct of research on agricultural economics and policy. The papers brought together in this set reveal the breadth and depth of his influence on the creation of modern agricultural economics. Volume 1 collects Johnson's most important work. These classic papers explore the consequences of government intervention in United States and world agriculture; the economics of agricultural supply and of rural labour and human capital issues; and the analysis of agricultural productivity in poor countries, including centrally planned economies of China and Eastern Europe. Models of precise reasoning and powerful empirical research, the papers cover a wide range of topics - from US commodity price policy to the economics of population control and farm policy reform in China. Volume 2 presents 22 papers by Johnson's former students and colleagues. International in scope, these papers explore themes and topics inspired by Johnson's work, including agricultural policy and US farm prices; European Common Agricultural Policy; and agricultural and rural development in the Third World.