PUBLIC SUPPORT OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS

Abstract

Demand functions for teaching, research and extension (TRE) personnel in seven administrative units of U.S. agricultural experiment stations are estimated from panel data, decennial observations, 1950 to 1987. The results reveal that the demand for the services of TRE personnel has not declined in the 1980s, given the demographic and economic conditions of the times. Moreover, there is no evidence to suggest that the long run demand elasticities have declined during the post-World War II period in spite of economic growth. From these results one might conclude that the demand for the services produced by experiment stations will continue to increase as the real value of agricultural production, population, and real per capita income increase. However, substantial variation exists among states in their propensity to support their experiment stations and the various administrative units within the stations.Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,