Genetic resources were once treated as a common heritage, available without restriction for research and other usage. The system was perceived as contributing to a rapid extinction rate and as unfair to developing countries -the major source of genetic resources. Since the Biodiversity...

Hedonic pricing is used to value certificates of plant variety protection for soybean seed in New York. The estimated price premium of 2.3 percent (.7 ¢/lb.) is low, and another indicator that US Plant Breeders' Rights protection likely provides inadequate incentives for breeding investment....

The U.S. demand for natural gas, a cleaner-burning fossil fuel, is projected to rise over the next decade. The import supply of natural gas is tight, so the growing demand will likely intensify domestic production. Pressure to drill on U.S. public and private lands will continue to grow....

A combination of higher oil production as well as higher oil prices is creating oil revenue windfalls for some Sub Saharan African countries. If well managed, these revenues have the potential to reduce poverty and bridge the development gap; if not they could lead to Dutch disease and an...

With a mandate, U.S. policy of ethanol tax credits designed to reduce oil consumption does the exact opposite. A tax credit is a direct gasoline consumption subsidy with no effect on the ethanol price and therefore does not help either corn or ethanol producers. To understand this, consider...

This paper addresses the broad question ofwhere to locate authority for tropical biodiversity conservation considering: (1) community-based natural research management (CBNRM) overreaches the indisputable place of local communities in tropical conservation efforts; (2) the most promise for...

Reforestation programs are a common policy response among developing country governments in the tropics attempting to deal with environmental and economic problems caused by widespread deforestation. The objective of this paper is to examine participation by small-and medium-sized farms in two...