In the canonical consumer demand problem, an agent makes a decision about quantities to consume, under the assumption that all possible varieties are available and can be accessed at zero cost. Quantities of each budget item are adjusted to achieve maximum utility subject to the budget...

Books Reviewed include: Readings in Development Economics: Volumes I and II by Pranab Bardhan and Christopher Udry; Agriculture, Trade and the Environment: The Impact of Liberalization on Sustainable Development by John M. Antle, Joseph N. Lekakis, George P. Zanias; Tradeoffs or Synergies?...

This paper studies factors associated with pesticide use in a rice-vegetable farming system in Bangladesh. Data came from a 1998/99 survey of 400 farm households. Regressions were used to examine factors that helped explain variation in patterns of pesticide expenditure. Controlling for farmer...

We measured the farm-level impacts of Malawi’s Farm Input Subsidy Programme (FISP) on fertiliser use and maize yields in central and southern Malawi. Using multiple rounds of panel data and an instrumental variable regression strategy to control for endogenous selection into the subsidy...

This paper studies the recent boom and bust in Vietnam's coffee economy. Data from smallholder coffee farms in the Central Highlands are used to examine responses to a drop in producer coffee prices. A multinomial logistic regression model is used to identify several factors associated with four...

Although the short-term aims of food aid are well conceived, strong concerns have been voiced regarding the long-term impacts of such aid on incentives for agricultural producers in recipient countries. This article examines the statistical link between food aid shipments and food prices in...