International Trade and Economic Development Strategy: Can Foreign Direct Investment Be Predicted?

This study identifies factors that might be used by the state to better target foreign industries and countries that are more likely to be seeking investment opportunities in the U.S

EMPLOYMENT AND EARNINGS OF THE WORKING POOR IN RURAL AND URBAN LABOR MARKETS

We use a unique administrative database to analyze the impact of labor market conditions on the employment outcomes of working poor adults in Oregon. Stronger labor demand conditions are associated with better employment outcomes. Lower earnings and less steady employment in rural areas are largely explained by higher unemployment rates.Labor and Human Capital,

U.S. Farm Policy and the WTO: How Do They Match Up?

The debate over a new farm bill has focused on how to spend an additional $73.5 billion in funding for the agricultural budget over ten years. The House of Representatives, the Senate Agriculture Committee, and Senators Cochran and Roberts (supported by the Bush Administration) have each proposed a structure for the next farm bill. A critical question becomes whether these proposals conflict with U.S. commitments to limit subsidies under the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreement. This paper explores this issue and concludes with a discussion of the future direction of U.S. farm subsidies and new WTO agreements.agricultural policy, domestic support, trade commitments, WTO, Agricultural and Food Policy, International Relations/Trade,

COMMODITY POLICY, PRICE INCENTIVES, AND THE GROWTH IN PER-ACRE YIELDS

We estimate the influence of policy-induced price changes and of technology supply on North Carolina flue-cured tobacco yields. The decline in land rent and effective output price that accompanied a 1965 policy change from acreage allotments to poundage quotas caused a 12 percent decrease in yields. Farmer yields were more responsive to yield-increasing technologies under acreage allotments than under poundage quotas. Annual yield growth was 0.5 percent under poundage quotas and 4.32 percent under acreage allotments. The growth rate decline is attributable to changes in relative prices and to a slowdown in the supply of available technologies.Commodity policy, Endogenous yield growth, Flue-cured tobacco, Technical change, Agricultural and Food Policy, Demand and Price Analysis, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

International trade and economic development: Can foreign direct investment be predicted?

It would appear obvious that not all countries and industries are equally good business recruitment targets for the state’s economic development efforts. However, partly due to data limitations, little detailed research has been done to clarify how a state might direct its recruitment strategies to those industries and countries more likely to be seeking foreign direct investment (FDI) opportunities within the United States. This paper is a move toward rectifying this deficiency.

U.S. Farm Policy and the World Trade Organization: How Do They Match Up?

The debate over a new farm bill has focused on how to spend an additional $73.5 billion in funding for the agricultural budget over 10 years. The House of Representatives, the Senate agriculture committee, and Senators Cochran and Roberts (supported by the Bush administration) have each proposed a structure for the next farm bill. A critical question becomes whether these proposals conflict with U.S. commitments to limit subsidies under the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreement. This paper explores this issue and concludes with a discussion of the future direction of U.S. farm subsidies and new WTO agreements.

Curve Shortening and the Rendezvous Problem for Mobile Autonomous Robots

If a smooth, closed, and embedded curve is deformed along its normal vector field at a rate proportional to its curvature, it shrinks to a circular point. This curve evolution is called Euclidean curve shortening and the result is known as the Gage-Hamilton-Grayson Theorem. Motivated by the rendezvous problem for mobile autonomous robots, we address the problem of creating a polygon shortening flow. A linear scheme is proposed that exhibits several analogues to Euclidean curve shortening: The polygon shrinks to an elliptical point, convex polygons remain convex, and the perimeter of the polygon is monotonically decreasing.Comment: 15 pages, 18 figure

IMPORTANCE OF VARIOUS ROLES AND EVALUATION METHODS OF EXTENSION ECONOMISTS AS VIEWED BY EXTENSION ADMINISTRATORS, DEPARTMENT HEADS, AND SPECIALISTS

A survey of extension administrators, department heads, and extension specialists was conducted to determine the best methods for evaluating the performance of extension economists. The results demonstrate how different groups view the relative importance of the various roles played by extension economists and how important the specific attributes of extension economists are within each role. In general all three groups agree on the most important roles and attributes. However, important differences among the groups do exist about the relative importance of certain activities.Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,