AN ASSESSMENT OF U.S. AGRICULTURAL POLICY AND LINKAGES TO TRADE AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Agricultural and Food Policy,

HOW TO PAY FOR AGRICULTURAL INCOME SUPPORTS

This paper examines the impact of deficit reductions on agricultural price support spending, and proposes several policy innovations designed to remove agricultural programs from the entitlement category. First, agricultural program costs are analyzed in relation to deficit reduction requirements resulting from recent legislation. Second, price support and food stamp programs are proposed as a separate budget category to be financed through an excise tax on retail food sales. Third, the incidence of this tax on consumers is considered, and compensation for lower income groups is proposed via expanded eligibility for the food stamp program. A final section presents some conclusions for policy.Agricultural and Food Policy, Agricultural Finance,

ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS OF WIDER COMPENSATION FOR "TAKINGS." OR, WHAT IF AGRICULTURAL POLICIES RULED THE WORLD?

Agricultural and Food Policy,

International Public Goods, Export Subsidies, and the Harmonization of Environmental Regulations

Environmental Economics and Policy, International Relations/Trade,

Minnesota Agriculture in the New Millenium

Minnesota is by any standard one of the leading agricultural places in the United States, both in terms of farm production and as a headquarters for some of the largest agrifood and agronomic enterprises in the world. Several factors are likely to affect the future of Minnesota agriculture in the 21st century. First, the state is likely to remain a center of agribusiness activity, and is emerging as a leader in the development of new technologies based in genomics and renewable fuels. Second, Minnesota agriculture will remain highly dependent on global markets, and thus has a major stake in world trade. Third, domestic farm and fiscal policies will determine the extent to which the state continues to receive federal payments to farmers, who also depend on the overall health of the economy. Finally, the rising cost of fossil-fuel based energy has major implications for Minnesota farmers costs for fuel, fertilizer and transport. Together, these four factors describe an environment that will challenge Minnesota agriculture in the years to come.Agricultural and Food Policy,

PROSPECTS FOR THE URUGUAY ROUND IN AGRICULTURE

International Relations/Trade,

AGRICULTURAL TRADE IN THE URUGUAY ROUND: INTO FINAL BATTLE

International Relations/Trade,

STREAM, RIVER, DELTA: INDUCED INNOVATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES IN ECONOMICS AND POLICY

Environmental Economics and Policy, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Conceptual design study Science and Application Space Platform SASP. Volume 1: Executive summary

The system design philosphy applied in the development of this platform concept is summarized. The system is to provide for simple, low cost, initial capability of accommodating Spacelab payloads that are modified for long duration flight. The supporting research and technology are also summarized

EMERGING ISSUES IN AGRICULTURAL TRADE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

This paper outlines emerging issues in agricultural trade and the environment. Its intent is to provoke discussion, rather than to capture all of the issues and details that merit analysis. It focuses primarily on "micro" issues rather than global issues such as green house gas emissions or biodiversity, although these are in many respects simply the aggregation of questions that must be resolved by changes in practices and incentives at the farm level. It begins with a description of the stylized facts of trade-environment interactions, arguing that the widely cited "Kuznets function" underscores our ignorance concerning the mechanisms linking growth, trade, and pollution. Especially in agriculture, there is evidence that market and government failures have not yet led to substantial interventions to reduce environmental externalities. The second part of the paper discusses these mechanisms, and raises a set of research questions designed to guide OECD and other investigators toward a more detailed understanding of the linkages from trade to environment in agriculture. The third part of the paper explores the challenges posed for trade policy-making, touching on two of the most important future areas in agriculture: sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and offers some policy principles to advance agricultural sustainability. The final part of the paper raises some of the challenges likely to face the WTO as it grapples with these and other trade-environment issues in the next century.Environmental Economics and Policy, International Relations/Trade,