Stephen B. Lovejoy

Estimating regional benefits of reducing targeted pollutants: an application to agricultural effects on water quality and the value of recreational fishing

The general focus of this paper is the regional estimation of marginal benefits of targeted water pollution abatement to instream uses. Benefit estimates are derived from actual consumer choices of recreational fishing activities and the implied expenditures for various levels of water quality. The methodology is applied to measuring the benefits accruing to recreational anglers in Indiana from the abatement of pollutants that are by-products of agricultural crop production.

Environmental Conservation Strategies: What Works and What Might Work Better

While environmental conservation as a component of agricultural policy dates back to the 1930s, it remained a neglected stepchild until the more recent Farm Bills of 1985, 1990 and 1996. The last three farm bills have spawned massive programs to induce, cajole and force farmers and ranchers to adopt and implement better conservation technologies. These recent strategies have included regulation and targeting in addition to, or combined with, the old standard of buying the cooperation of farmers and ranchers. While some of these programs have been very popular, the actual conservation impacts have often been less spectacular than anticipated. Many of the programs have not been implemented in a way that maximizes society’s environmental objectives. Research, which suggests why these programs were effective or ineffective at altering the behavior of farmers and ranchers, will be reviewed in this chapter. The programs’ impact as conservation tools will be explored. In addition, the potential impacts of the new Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) are examined, and some suggestions for alternative conservation strategies that may be more effective and efficient are delineated.

Academic Opportunities Outside the Land Grant System: Exploring a Niche Market for Agricultural Economics Ph.D. Students

Ph.D. students in agricultural economics, like any other discipline, face great uncertainty when pursuing academic employment. This is particularly true for those who want to pursue a position that is predominantly teaching. In this article, we explore the possibility of obtaining such a position within an economics department at a non-land grant academic institution. A survey was distributed to nearly 300 economics department chairs or heads at smaller colleges and universities. The results show that although gaining classroom experience of any sort is essential, it is most beneficial for the graduate student to have an independent teaching experience. We recommend that agricultural economics departments implement a mentoring program to guide students in developing their teaching skills.

Employment predictions in social impact assessment: An analysis of some unexplored variables

Abstract Social scientists investigating the impacts of energy development are increasingly searching for predictive models of the employment benefits to locals. This issue is of extreme importance not only because of the benefits to locals but because of the issue of local benefits as well as the connection with population growth and boom town development. Unfortunately, some of the recent investigations and predictive models are of little utility as a result of certain analytical and methodological faults, including improper assumptions about local labor supply and local preferences. In addition to the assessment of previous investigations, a framework for predicting local employment impacts is suggested. This framework utilizes characteristics and preferences of the local population.