...WHO REALLY BENEFITS FROM AGRICULTURAL SUBSIDIES? EVIDENCE FROM FIELD-‐LEVEL DATA Barrett Kirwan University of Maryland Michael J. Roberts North Carolina State University February 2010 [Preliminary and Incomplete] ABSTRACT The idea that agricultural subsidies are fully capitalized into farmland values forms the foundation of the argument that subsidies are entitlements and removing them would drastically reduce farmland asset values. Surprisingly little evidence substantiates this claim. Using field-‐level data and explicitly controlling for potentially confounding variables we find that landlords only capture between 14 – 24 cents of the marginal subsidy dollar. The duration of the rental arrangement has a substantial effect on the incidence. Initially, landlords extract 44 cents of the marginal subsidy dollar, but the incidence falls by 1.5 cents with each additional year of ...
Words: 4143 - Pages: 17
...Business September 25, 2012 Agricultural Subsidies and Development Summary of Case Study: Agricultural Subsidies and Development The closing case describes the government sponsored subsidies and tariffs on agricultural products in the United States and EU countries. The subsidies and tariffs protect farmers in those countries from low commodity prices, however at the same time, hurt farmers in the developing nations. According to the United Nation, the subsidies and tariffs effectively cancel out the aid provided by the developed world to the developing nations by limiting export earnings from agricultural products. Discussion of this case can revolve around the following questions: 1) If agricultural tariffs and subsidies to producers were removed overnight, what would the impact be on the average consumer in developed nations such as the US and the EU countries? What would the impact be on the average farmer? Do you think the total benefits outweigh the total cost or vice versa? I believe if agricultural tariffs and subsidies were removed overnight the impact on the average consumer in a developed nation would be, the prices of goods would rise because developed nations would no longer be dumping the surplus of good on the world market. The impact on the average farmer would be that they are no longer protected from international demand and prices. I do not think the total benefits outweigh the cost; they should remove all tariffs and subsidies and make it possible for...
Words: 336 - Pages: 2
...If agricultural tariff and subsidies to producers were removed overnight, what would the impact be on the average consumer in develop nations such as the United States and the EU countries. What would be the impact on average farmer? Do you think the total benefits overweight the total costs, or vice versa? A. For decades the rich countries of the developed world have levied subsidies on their farmers typically guaranteeing them a minimum price for the products they produce. The aim has been to protect the domestic industry from the foreign competition and give an impact on the average consumer in develop nations such as the United States and the EU countries If agricultural tariff and subsidies to producers were removed overnight, the average consumer in developed nations would probably see a slight rise in the cost of commodities as the commodity price reached a global equilibrium. The effect on the farmer would be more substantial because they would no longer be protected from international demand and prices. On the contrary also, the removal of tariffs and subsides to developed nation farmers could allow the average consumers to save as well. The prices for these products might become cheaper and the taxes paid would be eliminated because there would no longer be any subsidies to pay for. On the other hand, this would be a negative for the average farmers in these nations. There would no longer be a surplus of goods that could be sold to monopolize the market. Farmers...
Words: 324 - Pages: 2
...Agricultural Subsidies and Development In recent decades, rich countries and organizations have taken measures to preserve their agro industry. In many of the largest countries as a measure to stimulate the production, subsidy is made for the proceedings or part of the necessary crops. Nowadays we are faced in a big question: What is the impact of these subsidies on world market prices and the producers do not receive subsidies for their production? There are many opinions from different parts of the world and it is like that because each country has its own point of view and depends how much are they involved in the situation. I will try to distinguish myself and to be objective. I think that if the subsidies were removed overnight the impact on the average consumer and producer will be very bad. Family farmers will be driven into bankruptcy and this will lead to production falls. With less production the market will have risen on food prices and this will reflect directly to the average consumer. Another thing that will probably happen is that big corporation will continue their growth and they will kill smaller farmers with their prices. This will cause no competition in the agriculture and will lead to unfairly high prices. Another important thing that may occur is the lower quality of the products, because every farmer corporation will try to get as much as they can and they will no longer care about the quality because the competition is gone. I think that the benefits...
Words: 770 - Pages: 4
...1. What philosophical principle did Google’s managers adopt when deciding that the benefits of operating in China outweighed the costs? When it comes to the benefits outweighing the cost in China from a layman perspective, one could easily say that there is no philosophical principle was adopted, but rather, common sense led them to China. Even though China may have censorship everywhere, the Chinese don't have as many regulations as they do in America or other developed nations. Workers in China earn way less and work longer hours. Google is able to buy property for less in China, too. If anything, Google actually gained money by establishing a branch in China. On the contrary, one could also say that Google’s managers adopt utilitarian approach, because according to utilitarian philosophy, “it focuses attention on the need to weigh carefully all of the social benefits and costs of a business action and to pursue only those actions where the benefits outweigh the costs” (Hill, 2009, p. 144). For Google, they have their own legitimate and logical reasons why they should keep Google’s with the censorship by Chinese government. Without a doubt, China is a huge promising and potential Internet market in the world, where Google can make a great number of profits. Also, Google top managers explain that it’s better to give Chinese users limited information than to give nothing. What’s more, Google managers argue that Google is the only searching engine in China telling users that their...
Words: 752 - Pages: 4
...The argument for farm subsidies -- though not the ones we have now By Ezra Klein Mark Bittman makes the case for mending, rather than ending, farm subsidies: Eliminating the $5 billion in direct agricultural payments would level the playing field for farmers who grow non-subsidized crops, but just a bit -- perhaps not even noticeably. There would probably be a decrease in the amount of [high-fructose corn syrup] in the market, in the 10 billion animals we “process” annually, in the ethanol used to fill gas-guzzlers and in the soy from which we chemically extract oil for frying potatoes and chicken. Those are all benefits, which we could compound by taking those billions and using them for things like high-speed rail, fulfilling our promises to public workers, maintaining Pell grants for low-income college students or any other number of worthy, forward-thinking causes. ... But let’s not kid ourselves. Although the rage for across-the-board spending cuts doesn’t extend to the public -- according to a recent Pew poll, most people want no cuts or even increased spending in major areas -- once the $5 billion is gone, it’s not coming back. ... By making the program more sensible the money could benefit us all. For example, it could: -- Fund research and innovation in sustainable agriculture, so that in the long run we can get the system on track. -- Provide necessary incentives to attract the 100,000 new farmers Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack claims we need. -- Save more...
Words: 1104 - Pages: 5
...Dope sheet- agricultural subsidies in India 1) What is subsidy? Subsidies are grants given to a specified public to get a desired action from their side, for instance, when government is feeling that the yield per hectare is low which can be increased by using fertilizers, than government gives fertilizers subsidies so that small farmers can purchase the fertilizer. This means that subsidy is changing the price exogenously to alter the demand and supply figures. Most controversial classes of subsidies across the world are fuel subsidies and agricultural subsidies and today we are discussing agricultural subsidies. 2) What are the latest news stories about subsidies? There is omnipresence of this word subsidy. Recently some big stories came out of this word. Some 12 stories came in month of October itself. For example a) Government is worried because they think their subsidy bill will increase this time because of good monsoons. b) Raghuram rajan, chief advisor to prime minister says we are mistargeting subsidies. c) Manpreet sing from shrimoni akali dal (sad) was thrown out of his finance portfolio because he wanted to do away with power subsidies of 3000 crore. Punjab Government is in debt of almost 150000 crore rupees. 3) Why we need subsidy, what are the benefits of subsidy as a policy? a) Inducing higher consumption/ production b) Offsetting market imperfections including internalisation of externalities c) Achievement of social policy objectives including redistribution...
Words: 3440 - Pages: 14
...The modern agricultural subsidy program in the United States began with the New Deal and the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933. With trader barriers already in place for agricultural commodities, this law gave the government the power to set minimum prices and included government stock acquisition, land idling, and schemes to cut supplies by destroying livestock (Benedict, 1953). An agricultural subsidy is a government subsidy paid to farmers and agribusinesses to supplement their income, manage the supply of agricultural commodities and influence the cost and supply of commodities, such as wheat, grain, corn, milk, and soybeans (Agricultural Subsidy, 2012). The government subsidy program was originally designed to protect small family farms against loss of income due to poor crop yields, as well as create lower food prices and stabilize crop supplies. Annual yields are dependent upon factors that farmers often cannot control, such as severe weather conditions. Due to this, it’s contingent upon the government to encourage crop surplus to help guarantee against shortages. The high cost of land, planting, and storage makes it necessary for farmers to borrow and exorbitant amount of money. When the farmers can’t pay this money back because of low crop yields, they rely on these government subsidies to survive. Today’s farm operations have transformed the family farm from a small, self-contained business to a complex, technology-driven enterprise as seen in the rapidly...
Words: 1274 - Pages: 6
...Research Suggests Farm Subsidies are the Reason Americans Pay Higher Food Prices, Higher Taxes, Ending Small-Scale Farming while Destroying our Ecosystem: Michael L Ashcraft Western Governors University Background: Over 70 years ago, The Roosevelt administration announced the onset of government farm subsidies as a temporary emergency measure to help farmers earn a certain level of income. Although there have been dramatic efficiency upgrades within the farming industry, little change has been changed made regarding how the government funds farm subsidies. The basic idea of how government subsidies function, the government spends hundreds of millions of dollars to raise farmers incomes by raising the price of certain farm commodities. This increase in price encourages farmers to produce these subsidized commodities in large amounts, while encouraging consumers to buy them in small amounts (Armey, R. K., 1990). The result of producing large amounts while purchased amounts are low creates a surplus. Once a surplus occurs the government spends hundreds of millions of dollars encouraging farmers to discontinue producing the certain commodities, essentially subsidizing farmers not to farm. This policy creates great inefficiency, under the farm law passed in 1985, the Department of Agriculture has paid dairy farmers to kill 1.6 million cows and take five-year vacations from farming. Regulations have been enforced that have led to the squandering...
Words: 2071 - Pages: 9
...The US policy for cotton subsidies has affected the market internationally and domestically, united stated by producing 19 percent of world cotton production is one of the most influence country in cotton market. Although there is argument weather US should cut their subsidies on cotton or not but cutting the subsidies and replacing with the new recommended program has much greater benefit for the cotton market domestically and internationally. However the supporter of US subsidies believe that current program supports domestic farmers ,but according to below chart only 10 % of US farmer are enjoying the benefits of cotton subsidies. Eliminating billions of dollars in federal subsidies to American cotton growers each year would make competitive environment for domestic farmer to be more productive and grow plants efficiently. In addition it cause raise in prices by about 10 percent which improve the incomes of millions of poor cotton farmers in Africa especially in Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Chad. The reductions in developed country cotton subsidies as a means to fight rural poverty in the developing world, the added income would help families feed and educate millions of children. This statement is very good reason that Congress should cut cotton subsidies. Current Cotton Subsidies Program and its consequences: The main forms of subsidy includes: (1) direct payments to farmers and landlords; (2) price supports implemented with government purchases and storage; (3)...
Words: 1131 - Pages: 5
...of United States (U.S.) trade policy is the program of subsidies the United States provides its farmers. Trade partners object to U.S. farm subsidies, saying they unfairly block out foreign competition and this has been one of the primary sticking points during trade negotiations. The counterargument holds that U.S. farm subsidies are necessary to prop up the U.S. farm industry, particularly given the role that has been assigned to corn-based ethanol in the United States energy security plan. This brings us to the issue at hand; do United States farming subsidies need to continue, or should they be eliminated? This work will attempt to clarify why both sides of the argument feel they are correct and it will also attempt to show that repairing or fixing farming subsidies, not completely eliminating the program is in our best interest as a country. Method Most of the research that was unearthed on this topic came from the professionals in the field. Among the research found are debates from the CATO institute, website articles from the National Center for Policy Analysis, and information from the Heritage Foundation. Findings and Observations As it is often argued, governments are going to be involved in agriculture and a country’s food supply. As is often the case, if governments are involved, you as a consumer want them to err on the side of more production, not less. Estimates of the future cost of subsidies are, exactly just that, estimates. However, given the...
Words: 2113 - Pages: 9
... English 135 DeVry University Farm subsidy payments are over $10 billion and are authorized to make payments to people “who aren’t even farmers anymore” (Morgan, Gaul, Cohen, 2006, para. 3). This has been going on, in some cases, over 10 years (para. 6). As long as you owned the farmland, you don’t even have to be growing anything and you would continue to receive a subsidy check (para. 3). Bottom line is all these billions of dollars in government subsidies contribute to lowering the cost of processed foods; not a good occurrence if you have low-income and cannot afford the high cost of healthier foods. The processed foods are so cheap to buy and are the unhealthiest that can be consumed by any human being. They are high-density, high-calorie, high-fat junk food that the unfortunate and less-advantaged part of our society has no choice but to buy because it is all they can afford. Studies show a strong connection between poverty and obesity, the government should appoint a task force to regulate and limit or repeal farm subsidies and overproduction of certain agriculture commodities like corn that is used to create highly processed, cheaply priced, high-calorie, high-density “junk foods”, so that prices of natural whole foods can once again be competitive and give the low-income consumers healthier food choices, thus contributing to the reduction of obesity. The U.S. budget for government financial subsidies to U.S. farmers is too substantial and needs to...
Words: 2526 - Pages: 11
...Boeing versus Airbus: The ‘endless’ crusade for continuation of subsidy! (A case study) Case reviewer: Angelica Sharma* Brought up in a family in which my parents were always ready to help anyone, closely or even remotely related to them, but not without being duly satisfied about the urgency, righteousness / desirability of assistance (mostly financial) that was asked for, I have, overtime, come to view non-market incentives like subsidies, grants and tariffs from a mind-set that I have found moulded in their company. I look upon my parents as really great protagonists of market-economy without undermining their sense of sympathy and concern for the hapless lot around them in that country, they proudly refer to as India. They always made a distinction between who deserved and who did not deserve the favour that has been asked for. And also, they were particular to find out when, in what form, how much and for how long the assistance, if any, was to be there. Strangely, even to day, they remorsefully recall the few instances of having wasted their scarce productive resources on individuals who, they later-on found, never wanted to be on their own. But they did learn a lesson from these experiences. I have grown in such family environment of respect for merit, hard work and self-pride. It is endowed with this sense that I intend to ponder over the Boeing-Airbus subsidy-related trade-rift and comment on the perceptions, policies, arguments and counter-arguments of the two...
Words: 2871 - Pages: 12
...Boeing versus Airbus: The ‘endless’ crusade for continuation of subsidy! (A case study) Case reviewer: Angelica Sharma* Brought up in a family in which my parents were always ready to help anyone, closely or even remotely related to them, but not without being duly satisfied about the urgency, righteousness / desirability of assistance (mostly financial) that was asked for, I have, overtime, come to view non-market incentives like subsidies, grants and tariffs from a mind-set that I have found moulded in their company. I look upon my parents as really great protagonists of market-economy without undermining their sense of sympathy and concern for the hapless lot around them in that country, they proudly refer to as India. They always made a distinction between who deserved and who did not deserve the favour that has been asked for. And also, they were particular to find out when, in what form, how much and for how long the assistance, if any, was to be there. Strangely, even to day, they remorsefully recall the few instances of having wasted their scarce productive resources on individuals who, they later-on found, never wanted to be on their own. But they did learn a lesson from these experiences. I have grown in such family environment of respect for merit, hard work and self-pride. It is endowed with this sense that I intend to ponder over the Boeing-Airbus subsidy-related trade-rift and comment on the perceptions, policies, arguments and counter-arguments...
Words: 2870 - Pages: 12
...Arguments against FDI in Retail in India 1. Predatory Pricing With its incredibly deep pockets Wal-Mart will be able to sustain losses for many years till its immediate competition is wiped out. This is a normal predatory strategy used by large players to drive out small and dispersed competition. This entails job losses by the millions. 2. Labour Displacement Another factor is that it can only expand by destroying the traditional retail sector. Till such time we are in a position to create jobs on a large scale in manufacturing, it would make eminent sense that any policy that results in the elimination of jobs in the unorganised retail sector should be kept on hold. If we assume 40 mn adults in the retail sector, it would translate into around 160 million dependents using a 1:4 dependency ratio. Opening the retailing sector to FDI means dislocating millions from their occupation, and pushing a lot of families under the poverty line. Plus, one must not forget that the western concept of efficiency is maximizing output while minimizing the number of workers involved – which will only increase social tensions in a poor and yet developing country like India, where tens of millions are still seeking gainful employment. This dislocated and unemployed horde has to be accommodated somewhere else. Agriculture already employs nearly 60% of our total workforce, and is in dire need of shedding excess baggage. That leaves us with manufacturing as the only other alternative. With...
Words: 2372 - Pages: 10
