ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY HARMONIZATION: COMMENT

Environmental Economics and Policy,

IMPACT OF THE 1998 ICE STORM ON THE EASTERN ONTARIO MAPLE SYRUP INDUSTRY: A CASE STUDY OF NATURAL DISASTER POLICY IN CANADA

Under Canada's Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA), the federal government can provide provinces with funds for emergency response and recovery in the event of a natural disaster. This assistance has historically been provided on an ad hoc basis. In recent years, the amount of DFAA assistance has significantly increased without any auditing to determine how effective and efficient these expenditures are in offsetting economic losses due to natural disasters. The goal of this paper is to examine the implications of natural disaster compensation and assistance programs for economic efficiency. A framework is developed to determine if government assistance expenditures have offset economic losses to a specific industry using a case study of the 1998 ice storm and the eastern Ontario maple syrup industry. Projections of damage recovery are used to measure the economic impact of the storm, and a comparison is then drawn between the change in producers' welfare and government assistance. The implications of the findings for the case study and for future natural disaster assistance programs in Canada are discussed.Environmental Economics and Policy, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY CONSIDERATIONS IN THE GRAIN-LIVESTOCK SUBSECTORS IN CANADA, MEXICO AND THE UNITED STATES

Environmental Economics and Policy,

Property rights and land use regulation: a comparative evaluation

This paper reviews the rationale for policies aimed at limiting the conversion of farmland to nonfarm uses from the perspective of the economic theory of property rights. Policy measures to restrict the conversion of agricultural land to non-farm uses are commonplace in many countries. Typically, these policies are introduced to address long-run food security issues and possible externalities associated with incompatibility in land uses. The paper argues that the presence of externalities in the land market does not warrant farmland protection policies. Farmland protection policies in themselves can be a source of policy failure. It concludes that well-defined property rights along with nuisance and trespass laws, are necessary and sufficient for efficient allocation of land and can be a better alternative to farmland protection policies.Land Economics/Use,

A MODEL OF OPTIMAL PUBLIC INVESTMENT IN U.S. AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

This paper examines three claims of inefficient allocation of public expenditure in publicly funded agricultural research in the United States. It has been argued by analysts of research policy that: 1. The overall level of public investment in agricultural research is less than what would be socially optimal. 2. The present composition of public research investment is excessively myopic in that too little basic research is performed relative to the level of applied research. 3. The allocation of research resources among commodities is inconsistent with economic efficiency. A nonlinear optimal growth model of the U.S. economy was employed to test these propositions. Strong support was found for the claim that the overall level of investment has been adequate. No support was found for the contention that basic research has been relatively underfunded compared to applied research. Weak support was found for the view that crop research has suffered from more acute underfunding than has livestock research.Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Incorporating Parental Goals in Parenting Programs Through Collaborative Relationships with Parents

This article makes a case for including parental input, specifically parenting goals, in parenting programs. Research indicates goals directly influence parenting practices. Collaborative discussion about parent goals can better involve parents in the parenting education process, and, through the connection with practices, improve outcomes. Three categories of collaboration are described

1998 EASTERN ONTARIO ICE STORM MAPLE PRODUCERS' SURVEY: SUMMARY AND RESULTS

In August, 1999, a telephone survey of maple producers in eastern Ontario was conducted in order to gather information on the changes in their operations since the 1998 ice storm. This paper presents the findings of the survey. The results will be used in a larger study to examine the economic impact of the ice storm on maple producers in this region.Crop Production/Industries, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

COMPARATIVE ECONOMICS OF ALTERNATIVE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION SYSTEMS: A REVIEW

Farm Management,

Paradigms for Clinical Ethics Consultation Practice

Clinical bioethics is big business. There are now hundreds of people who do bioethics in community and university hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation and home care settings, and some (though quite a few less) who play the role of clinical ethics consultant to transplant teams, managed care companies, and genetic testing firms. Still, there is as much speculation about what clinically active bioethicists actually do as there was ten years ago. Various commentators have pondered the need for training standards, credentials, certification exams, and malpractice insurance for ethicists engaged in clinical consultation. Much of the discussion seems to accept an implicit presumption that all clinical ethics consultation practices look pretty much alike. But is this accurate? What do clinical ethicists do, how and where do they do it, and what kind of clinical ethics is useful in the hospital and in other settings