Evaluating producer response to water policies in agriculture: The role of input substitution,spatial heterogeneity and input quality.

详细信息   

• 作者：Ward ; Kristen B.
• 学历：Doctor
• 年：2003
• 导师：Howitt,Richard E.,eadvisor
• 毕业院校：University of California
• ISBN：9780496683642
• CBH：3121009
• Country：USA
• 语种：English
• FileSize：4727557
• Pages：134

文摘

When evaluating natural resource and environmental policies,it is natural to consider what characterizes a good model? This dissertation explores this question by considering the role of data aggregation,spatial heterogeneity,input substitution and input quality in examining producer response to water policies in agriculture. In particular,a mathematical programming model is used to simulate agricultural production and examine a surface water reduction policy at three levels of spatial and data aggregation. The findings suggest that production data which have been spatially aggregated in an agricultural production model,yield similar results to those that utilize spatially disaggregated production data. Although spatial heterogeneity does not appear to significantly alter the economic consequences of the policy,it does not necessarily imply that production-induced external effects are insensitive to data and spatial aggregation. Rather,it is most likely the case that as data and spatial scales are aggregated,the qualitative characteristics describing these external or third party impacts are also aggregated and may mask some of these effects. This point is supported by noting the differences in producer response at the extensive and intensive margins as well as the observed variations in the Morishima and shadow elasticities of substitution across inputs,crops and levels of spatial aggregation. The significance of including input substitution and input quality in modeling agricultural production are evident throughout this dissertation. Input quality plays a crucial role in determining the optimal allocation of inputs across crops and soil types. Evidence of this is seen in the differences between the elasticities of substitution for different input pairs as well as for crops of varying salinity tolerances. Thus,as the debate surrounding the optimal allocation of water resources continues,it is imperative that input quality is included in models that are used for policy analysis. The leading implication of failing to do so is that resources will not be allocated based upon their true opportunity costs which may lead to distortions in the input demands,output supply as well as the spatial allocations of the resources.