Agrarian structures are often characterized by some kind of economic inertia. It is particularly puzzling why unprofitable farms persist over time instead of being sold. In this paper we analyze the exit decision of farmers using the real options approach. The validity of the real options theory...

This paper examines the impact of technical efficiency on the optimal exit timing of farms in a stochastic dynamic framework. Starting from a standard real options approach, we incorporate technical efficiency via a production function and derive an optimal price trigger at which farms...

The objective of this paper is to explore the potential of the real options approach for analyzing farmers’ choice to switch from conventional to organic farming. Understanding the determinants of this decision is relevant in particular for agricultural policy makers when predicting the...

German hog production responds only very limited to price fluctuations in the pork market. The hog production concentrates in a few regions though it does not depend on special natural conditions. Furthermore, the production volume does hardly vary over time. Relatively high market risks, sunk...

German hog production responds only very limited to price fluctuations in the pork market. The hog production concentrates in a few regions though it does not depend on special natural conditions. Furthermore, the production volume does hardly vary over time. Relatively high market risks, sunk...

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...