The objective of the 1997 Kyoto agreement was to limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions among signatory countries and thereby slow global warming. Under the agreement, Canada has committed itself to reduce GHGs over the next decade by 6 percent from estimated 1990 levels. Debate has now begun on...

This study uses the sustainable growth rate model to investigate, measure, and analyze sustainable growth rates and trends for Illinois farmers. Results of farm-level econometric analyses indicate the relevance of the sustainable growth paradigm in explaining most farm financial decisions made...

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship over time between specific weather events (drought, excessive rainfall, cold weather, etc…) and loss ratios for crop insurance products. The study also investigates the impact of rainfall and extreme heat on field and fruit crop insurance...

Survey data are used to examine the determinants of a "social clause" in international trade negotiations. Proponents of such a clause argue that the inclusion of labor laws, environmental impacts, and other social issues in international trade negotiations would ensure fair competition, an...

The purpose of this paper is to develop a general approach to valuing commodity-linked bonds (CLBs) based on the Heath-Jarrow-Morton (HJM) framework. The model deals with four dimensions of uncertainty: prices of the underlying commodity, the value of firm that issues bonds, interest rates, and...

The purpose of this paper is to provide a specific test of Boucher, Carter et al.(2008) framework on risk rationing. The data were collected through a survey of 730farm households in Shaanxi province conducted in November 2010. We comparefactor associated with risk rationed, quantity rationed...

This paper presents preliminary results on the possible demand for weather insurance in China. Results from 1,564 farm households from Western and Central China between October 2007 and October 2008 suggest that the greater risk for farmers is drought followed by excessive rain. Heat is less...

The main motivation for this paper is the recognition of the fact that asymmetric information is the form of moral hazard and adverse selection results in sizeable efficiency losses. These costs are passed back to producers in the form of excessively high premium rates and also passed back to...