B. James Deaton

An empirical examination of the relationship between mining employment and poverty in the Appalachian region

We empirically examine the relationship between the share of employment in the mining sector and poverty rates in Appalachian counties of the United States. Using panel data we decompose the effect of an increase in a sectors employment share (i.e. mining, manufacturing, agriculture, services and construction) to identify an immediate and lag effect. With regard to the mining sector the empirical results suggest that the immediate effect reduces poverty rates while the lag effect is associated with increases in the poverty rate. We assess these results in the context of previous literature that examines the relationship between resource intensive economies and economic development.

Intestate Succession and Heir Property: Implications for Future Research on the Persistence of Poverty in Central Appalachia

(2007). Intestate Succession and Heir Property: Implications for Future Research on the Persistence of Poverty in Central Appalachia. Journal of Economic Issues: Vol. 41, No. 4, pp. 927-942.

Do Landlord-Tenant Relationships Influence Rental Contracts for Farmland or the Cash Rental Rate?

A considerable portion of North America’s farmland is rented-out by nonfarmer landlords. Our survey of farmers in southern Ontario, Canada, provides a refined understanding of who these landlords are and whether variations in landlord-tenant relationships influence rental contract choice and/or the magnitude of cash rent. We find that crop share arrangements are more likely to emerge among family relations. However, we do not find strong evidence that family relations explain variation in the magnitude of cash rental rates. (JEL Q15)

Net Buyers, Net Sellers, and Agricultural Landowner Support for Agricultural Zoning

Agricultural zoning and land-use restrictions are long-standing approaches for controlling non-agricultural development. We provide a theoretical explanation for variation in agricultural landowner support for zoning based on landowners’ positions—whether a landowner is a buyer or a seller—in the land market. Hypotheses derived from the model are tested using data from a survey of agricultural landowners in Kent County, Michigan. The empirical findings are consistent with our hypothesis that net buyers and net sellers of agricultural land will differ in their support for agricultural zoning. (JEL Q15)

Setting the Standard for Farmland Preservation: Do Preservation Criteria Motivate Citizen Support for Farmland Preservation?

The multifunctional set of services provided by farmland complicates the task of identifying which farmland should be preserved. For this reason many states and local governments establish criteria to rank and select parcels of farmland for protection. This study examines whether criteria commonly used by state programs to guide purchases of agricultural conservation easements influence public demand for farmland preservation. The results provide policy makers with additional information to assess current ranking criteria that set the standard for farmland preservation.

FACTORS INFLUENCING SUPPORT FOR RURAL LAND USE CONTROL: A COMMENT

Land ownership characteristics such as the quantity of land owned, quality of land parcels, and location of land describe important dimensions of landed wealth. Landed wealth is expected to be an important factor influencing support for rural land use control. This factor was not discussed in the April (1999) article by McLeod, Woirhaye, and Menkhaus (1999). We suggest that this factor contributes to understanding variation in support for rural land use control.

Agglomeration Effects in Ontario's Dairy Farming

This paper examines the agglomeration hypothesis, which states that a firm’s productive efficiency is increased by closer proximity to other firms. Using a stochastic input distant function with heteroskedastic inefficiency effects, we find that the density of Ontario dairy farms has a significant positive economic effect on production efficiency. The finding has implications for understanding agricultural firm location and farmer-led efforts to preserve agricultural farming activities in specific locations.