Professionalisation of Australian Agricultural Economics: 1920 - 1970

Australian agricultural economics was on the verge of professional recognition at the beginning of the 1950s. The discipline had emerged from the Second World War in a strong position due primarily to the work of the State Departments of Agriculture, the Economics Departments of the banks, and the pioneering efforts of the Bureau of Agricultural Economics. Agricultural economics as a field of study was being taken up by economics and agricultural science students alike, and research projects in agricultural economics were burgeoning. This paper investigates the factors which contributed to the professionalisation of agricultural economics in Australia after the Second World War. All vocations aspire to professional status but, even when it does receive professional recognition, a vocation is often still questioned regarding the legitimacy of that status. It is therefore significant to explore the origins and evolution of the agricultural economics profession in order to discover the reasons why it came into existence and the process by which the professionalisation occurred. The changed economic environment during and after the Second World War meant that agricultural economists were given opportunities to present a convincing case to pursue the professionalisation of their discipline. The distinguishing and overruling characteristic of a profession is the possession of specialized knowledge which has been acquired as a result of prolonged training. The knowledge is intellectual and based on the exploration of a recognized field of study. The way in which this knowledge is obtained is an important part of the professionalisation process. This paper identifies the economists and scientists who established the discipline of agricultural economics in Australian universities and set it on the path to professionalisation. The second most important aspect of professionalisation is the formation of a professional society for members and the development of a professional journal to disseminate research and other general information to members. The formation of the professional organisation associated with agricultural economics in Australia is examined in this paper. Australian agricultural economics was at the peak of its influence in the 1970s. All the mainland universities had at least one professor of agricultural economics, there was a strong professional association, annual conferences, and bi-annual outlook conferences, and three separate professional journals were in publication. The value of the agricultural economics profession was widely accepted throughout the policy community.Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Influence of Course Delivery Method and Proctoring on Performance in Introductory Economics

This work was published in the Review of Agricultural Economics. See Wachenheim, C.J. 2009. Final Exam Scores in Introductory Economics Courses: Effect of Course Delivery Method and Proctoring. Review of Agricultural Economics 31(3), pp. 640-652.Online, Assessment, Education, Economics, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

INVOLVEMENT OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS IN GRADUATE AGRIBUSINESS PROGRAMS: AN UNCOMFORTABLE LINKAGE

Departments of agricultural economics face a changing environment. Some argue for the adoption of the Master of Agribusiness degree. I argue that agribusiness in not well differentiated from agricultural economics and that the forte of agricultural economics departments is teaching applied economics, not teaching management. Furthermore, in today's dynamic, open economy, a good understanding of economics is more valuable than ever before. Rather than leave our area of strength, we should look to improve our current degree programs given today's business needs.Agribusiness, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Performance of Smallholder Agriculture Under Limited Mechanization and the Fast Track Land Reform Program in Zimbabwe

agricultural mechanization, fast track land reform, agricultural development, Stochastic Frontier model, technical efficiency, agribusiness management, Agricultural and Food Policy, Community/Rural/Urban Development, International Development, Land Economics/Use, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

A typical application of SEAMLESS-IF at macro level: a trade liberalization scenario applied to the EU

Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy, Land Economics/Use, Production Economics,

Documentation of model components EXPAMOD and CAPRI

Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy, Land Economics/Use, Production Economics,

ARER Guidelines for Manuscript Submission

Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Agricultural Finance, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Consumer/Household Economics, Crop Production/Industries, Demand and Price Analysis, Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management, Financial Economics, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Food Security and Poverty, Health Economics and Policy, Industrial Organization, Institutional and Behavioral Economics, International Development, International Relations/Trade, Labor and Human Capital, Land Economics/Use, Livestock Production/Industries, Marketing, Political Economy, Production Economics, Productivity Analysis, Public Economics, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, Risk and Uncertainty, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

The Complexities of the Interface between Agricultural Policy and Trade

Tariff and non-tariff barriers are widespread as applied to agricultural trade. The theory of gains from trade considers the impacts of free trade relative to no trade and to non-tariff barriers, while the theory of agricultural policy generally places little weight on the international trading sector. However, it is necessary to combine agricultural policy with the international trading sector so that agricultural policy instruments such as price supports are considered together with barriers to trade such as tariffs. This is possible within the context of welfare economics when considering the costs and benefits of alternative agricultural and trade policies.agricultural policy, biofuels, export taxes, gains from trade, tariffs, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Agricultural Finance, Environmental Economics and Policy, International Relations/Trade, Political Economy, Production Economics,

ASSESSMENT OF JOURNALS USED BY AGRICULTURAL ECONOMISTS AT LAND-GRANT UNIVERSITIES

Agricultural economists at land-grant universities were surveyed to evaluate the use and assessment of professional journals. Faculty rankings of journals are reported along with faculty perceptions of changes in the quality of selected journals. Of 25 journals used by agricultural economics faculties, the Southern Journal of Agricultural Economics ranked first among regional agricultural economics journals in personal usefulness, subscriptions held, papers submitted, papers published, and participation in the editorial and review processes. The SJAE was also ranked as the second most improved journal among all journals evaluated.Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

The Impact of Ethanol Production on Spatial Grain Market Relationships

cointegration, ethanol, grain markets, spatial relationships, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Agricultural Finance, Demand and Price Analysis, Land Economics/Use, Production Economics, Productivity Analysis,