Many economists are concerned with communicating the results of economic analysis or the implications of economic theory to policy makers. Our effectiveness in doing this varies widely for different individuals and different issues. The present paper is an attempt to provide practical advice to...

The choice of policy mechanisms for encouraging environmentally beneficial land-use change should depend on the relative levels of private (or internal) net benefits, and public (or external) net benefits. A map of recommended policy mechanisms is developed, depending on the relative levels of...

The use by farmers of futures contracts and other hedging instruments has been observed to be low in many situations, and this has sometimes seemed to be considered surprising or even mysterious. We propose that it is, in fact, readily understandable and consistent with rational decision making....