The dissertation aims to develop and apply new empirical methods to analyze and model farm structural change. Changes of the farm structure are not only important for the sector itself but may have broader economic, social and environmental consequences for a region. Understanding this process...

Livestock farming and the environmentally friendly management of Alpine pastures represent a traditional form of mountain farming. Grazing and the maintenance of pastures and the Alps are publicly subsidised in recognition of the ecological importance of the activities and because the costs are...