View
215
Download
0
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
AAEC 2305-Intro. to Agricultural
EconomicsDr. Darren Hudson
Larry Combest Chair of Agricultural [email protected], 742.2821x272, 206 AGSCI
Study of allocation of scarce resources to highest and best use◦ Competing demands on and finite supplies of
resources determine how resources are allocated Study of human behavior
◦ Economics is a social science, which means we are studying human beings and their decisions
Economics requires a broad understanding of both physical and social sciences
What is Economics?
A resource is an input provided by nature and modified by humans using technology to produce goods that satisfy human desires.◦ Two key elements here: Resources have a finite supply (are limited); yes, yes,
the sun and wind are not “limited” in the sense that they will be used up; but they must be combined with other scarce resources to be useful
Human wants are not limited; we call this non-satiation. “More is preferred to less.”
Resource Scarcity
Resource are “scarce”◦ Because resources are scarce, the goods produced
from them are scarce as well◦ How do we distribute resources—determines how
we distribute goods and services Resources have alternative uses
◦ Because of scarcity and alternative uses, trade-offs must be made
Resources have economic value◦ Because of scarcity and alternative uses, resources
have economic value—that is, we must generally pay to use them
Important Characteristics of Resources
Actors should engage in an action if, and only if, the extra benefits from taking the action are at least as great as the added costs◦ Easy in concept, difficult to implement What are the added costs of increased asthma from
pollution? What is the value of a human life?
Cost-Benefit Principle
€
R =B
C
In economics, we are concerned with trade-offs—that is, how much of one good must we give up to get another. We call this opportunity cost◦ Opportunity cost reflects the value of alternatives
that are foregone or sacrificed to choose another alternative In our land example, the opportunity cost may be the
lost value of agricultural production to society for building another subdivision—by building the subdivision, you are giving up the opportunity to grow strawberries
You are giving up current income to get a college degree (hopefully more future income!!)
Opportunity Cost
Time is another important element of economic decisions◦ Do we use our petroleum/water reserves today or
save them for future generations?◦ Who makes that decision?
Distribution of income/goods is another important element◦ Who gets access to educational opportunities?
Who pays for it?
Other Dimensions of Economics
Marginal cost-the added cost arising from the production of one more unit of output
Marginal benefit-the added benefit arising from one more unit of consumption
Thinking at the margin…
Macroeconomics—examines the performance of national/international economies (e.g., inflation, unemployment, interest rates, etc.)◦ This is what you hear most about on the news
Microeconomics—study of economic decisions at the individual level◦ How does a firm maximize profits?◦ What goods are consumers most likely to
purchase?
Micro/Macro Economics
Deals with “what is” – purely concerned with measurement and reporting
Does not involve value judgments◦ Ex. – If the government raises the price support
for a commodity, does this cause farmers to produce more of that commodity…and by how much?
Positive Economics
Deals with “what should be” Inherently involves making value judgments
—to address these questions, someone must decide what is “good” and “bad”◦ Ex. – Should government policy guarantee that
farmers get a “fair” price for their grain?
Normative Economics
Deals with ways to achieve a desired result. Involves both positive and normative issues
◦ Ex. – If we want to increase household income of families in the bottom 20% of U.S. incomes, how can we do this in the manner least costly to U.S. taxpayers?
Prescriptive Economics
What do we produce? How do we produce it? For whom will it be produced? When/how will it be consumed?
Economic systems must, then, answer:
Because of the complexity of the real world, we use simplifying assumptions to aid our analysis of questions. For now, the two most common for which you need to be aware are:◦ Individuals want to maximize their own well-being
(or, as we call it, utility)◦ Firms want to maximize profits
Common assumptions
The principles we will discuss apply to all economic problems, but we will focus on agriculture as our centerpiece for analysis
Agriculture is a complex system beginning with natural resources, biological production of food and fiber products, agribusinesses that process and distribute those goods, the public sector that influences the process through policy, and consumers
Agriculture Overview
Includes all farms and ranches that grow crops and livestock (usually, but not always, for sale)
Changes in the agricultural production sector have occurred due to technological change, development of markets, and government policy and international trade
Agricultural Production
Input suppliers (produce goods and services used in agricultural production)
Processing and distribution
Agribusiness
Government policy and government supplied goods◦ Higher education◦ Roads, rail, shipping channels◦ Extension service◦ Information services
Public Sector