During the late 1990s a series of negative events occurred in the United Kingdom (UK) related to biotechnology. These events signaled potential risks associated with biotech foods and crops and were highly reported. According to the trust asymmetry hypothesis, such events ought to cause public...

The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which trust directly affects public support for biotechnology, particularly in applications to food production and genetic modification of crop plants. Unlike previous research in which trust is assumed to be exogenous, this paper posits that...

The rise of contract farming and vertical integration is one of the most important changes in modern agriculture. Yet the adoption and diffusion of these new forms of organization has varied widely across regions, commodities, or farm types. Transaction cost theories have done much in helping us...

1. Introduction to the handbook on the human impact of agriculture / Harvey S. James, Jr. -- Part I. Impacts of agricultural institutions and organizations -- 2. How farm consolidation affects farmers and farmworkers / James M. MacDonald -- 3. The real game of chicken: The tournament, broiler...

A sustainable and equitable food and agricultural system cannot exist unless market participants perceive they are participating in a fair marketplace. Because claims of unfairness are made when expectations are violated, assessing claims of unfairness require that we understand how, where and...

This study examined the relationship between trust and public support of biotechnology institutions. Unlike previous studies that model trust as an exogenous factor of public support, in this study trust is endogenous. Instrumental variable and selection-correction techniques are used to show...

We consider whether participation in cooperative organizations known as Farm Bases correlates with a farmer's risk attitudes in China. Specifically, we seek to determine if farmers see cooperative-like organizations as a means of reducing risk or as a way of accessing riskier opportunities....

Because family and the beliefs and values of people are important aspects of economic institutions, family structure and functioning might affect the values of family members. Four specific types of values are relevant to economic performance: ethical values, moral values, democratic values, and...