This abstract describes alternative output aggregates that provide both cross-sectional and temporal comparisons appropriate for the analysis of panel data sets. Several of these multidimensional output indices are constructed using detailed data on agricultural production to illustrate the...

Notwithstanding the ambiguous research and productivity promoting effects of plant variety protections (PVPs), even in developed countries, many developing countries have adopted PVPs in the past few years, in part to comply with their Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights...

This is a prepublication version of J.M. Beddow, T.M. Hurley, P.G. Pardey, and J.M. Alston’s “Food Security: Yield Gap” chapter in N. Van Alfen, editor-in-chief, Encyclopedia of Agriculture and Food Systems, Vol. 3, San Diego: Elsevier, 2014, pp. 352-365.

Some studies have reported a slowdown in U.S. farm productivity growth, but the prevalent view among economists is to reject or downplay the slowdown hypothesis, implying that the rates of productivity growth experienced over the past half century can be projected forward. We set out to resolve...

Replaced with revised version of paper 07/22/11. Former Title: Revisiting the Returns to U.S. Public Agricultural Research: New Measures, Models, Results, and Interpretation

[Supporting Material for “A Bounds Analysis of World Food Futures: Global Agriculture Through to 2050.” Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics 2014 (forthcoming)]

Over the past century and more, research and development (R&D) has contributed to a transformation of the U.S. food and agricultural sectors. R&D has fueled productivity growth, enabling U.S. farmers to do more with less. It has helped U.S. farmers to remain competitive in increasingly...

Final (updated) version posted Dec. 1, 2014

Commissioned by the CGIAR Science Council and prepared as a Background Paper for the 2008 World Development Report of the World Bank.