Economics Commons^™

Utah Boating And Fishing Survey: Applying Contingent Valuation And Travel Cost Methods To Estimate Recreation Values In Northern Utah For The Bear River Water Development Project, Jeff T. Williams

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The intent of this thesis is to compare contingent valuation methods (CVM) and travel cost methods (TCM) to estimate consumer surplus for boaters and anglers in northern Utah. TCM results are about three times that of CVM. Several limitations are noted, specifically that CVM solicits given willingness to pay (WTP for specific reservoir sites. TCM analyzes aggregated trips to reservoirs with a wide array of site characteristics.

Integration Of Short-Run Exchange Rate Dynamics With Long-Run Equilibrium: An Empirical Analysis, Sugata Biswas

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study investigates the linkage between long-run and short-run dynamics of exchange rate determination for the German mark/U.S. dollar quarterly rate for the period 1973-1990. Earlier investigations failed to explicitly take into account the possible nonstationarity of the data set they were using. This study continues the work performed in this area by applying modern econometric techniques to empirical tests of the Dornbusch model. In essence, this study revives the monetary model and determines if the empirical analysis using the German/U.S. case derives elements which are compatible with the monetary theory of exchange rate determination.

Three Essays On Labor Force Participation Rates Among The Fifty States, With Empirical Tests Using Panel Data, John D. Groesbeck

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation examined the theoretical foundations of an individual's labor force participation decision. Further, this dissertation provided empirical analysis of the impact of state tax rates, the duration of unemployment, and household size on male, female, and combined labor force participation rates of the fifty states from 1985 to 1990. Empirical tests showed that: 1) no significant relationship existed between tax variables and participation rates; 2) the duration of unemployment was positively related with participation rates while unemployment was negatively related; 3) service sector growth was positively correlated with longer durations of unemployment; and 4) household size was negatively related …

A Comparison Of Models To Forecast Annual Average Potato Prices In Utah, Glade R. Erikson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Potatoes are a capital-intensive crop. A farmer who is considering expanding his potato acreage must carefully consider revenue requirements to offset the high costs of raising the crop. A method to forecast annual farm potato prices would be useful not only to the farmer, who is considering potato acreage expansion (or contraction), but also to the potato buyers.

Seven forecasting models were considered: (1) a simultaneous equation model (with five equations); (2) a Box-Jenkins type ARIMA model; (3) an exponential smoothing model; (4) a moving-average model; (5) a trend model; (6) an "opposite" model; and (7) a current, or naive, …

Can Duration -- Interest Rate Risk -- And Convexity Explain The Fractional Price Change And Market Risk Of Equities?, David L. Cheney

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In the last two decades, duration analysis has been largely applied to fixed-income securities. However, since rising and falling interest rates have been determined to be a major cause of stock price movements, equity duration has received a great deal of attention.

The duration of an equity is a measure of its interest rate risk. Duration is the sensitivity of the price of an equity with respect to the interest rate. Convexity is the sensitivity of duration with respect to the interest rate.

The analysis revealed that the fractional price change and market risk of equities can be explained by …

Factors That Explain Changes In The Level Of Human Capital Of Children With Disabilities, Linda D. Goetze

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation combines concepts from the human capital and early intervention literature to develop a theoretical and empirical model of child development relationships. This model is empirically estimated using data from the Early Intervention Research Institute's Longitudinal Study on the effects of intervention for young children with disabilities. The model is estimated using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) relating the Battelle Developmental Inventory (BDI) scores to child, family, and early intervention variables. These relationships are also examined using a type of Sequential Method of Moments (SMM) estimation strategy that accounts for data and other problems such as endogeneity, censoring, and selectivity. …

Measurement Of The Economic Effects Of Trade Liberalization Policy In Taiwan, Shu-Lan Huang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Since the conclusion of World War II, Taiwan, the Republic of China (ROC), has developed into an industrialized country following a long period of severe inflation. Taiwan has produced a successful example of economic development through export expansion. Exports and imports of Taiwan increased from approximately 10 percent of the gross national product (GNP) in the 1950s to more than 45 percent in the 1980s. The role of Taiwan's foreign exchange rates and traderelated policies on exports and imports was examined in this study.

Trade-related policies implemented by the government of ROC were documented from 1950 to 1980 by categorizing …

Economic Comparison Of Selected Processing Alternatives For Alfalfa, Dan J. Bates

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Processing alfalfa for export is of significant interest to areas like Millard County, the largest hay-producing county in Utah. In the past year there have been significant reductions in the price of hay as a result of increased supplies in the central and western United States. This thesis analyzes the benefits and costs of processing alfalfa into cubes and recompressed bales in order to enter the export market.

Costs of production were estimated through the use of enterprise budgets first for the farmer to establish the costs and returns for raising the hay, and secondly for cubing and recompressing the …

Economic Analysis Of Dryland Wheat Tillage Practices In Box Elder County, Utah, Michael Dale Bond

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to determine the economic viability of various dryland wheat tillage systems, many of which were developed from years of cooperative research efforts.

In the study three conventional tillage methods were analyzed along with ten conservation tillage practices. The study farm consisted of 2000 acres, of which 1000 acres are classified as land 1 and its wheat yield is assumed to be 35 bushels per acre for non-continuous tillage methods and 23 bushels per acre for continuous tillage methods. The remaining 1000 acres are classed as land 2 and its assumed wheat yield is 30 …

A Simulation Of The Economic Effects Of Alternative Soil Types And Nitrogen Sources On Nitrate Leaching On Irrigated Agriculture In Utah, Gilbert D. Miller

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The economic impact of reducing the amount of nitrate leached out of the root zone under irrigation in the arid West was examined. A general introduction into the nature of the problem and a review of the literature was provided in chapter I. In chapter ll the economic incentives of irrigation management were evaluated under the assumptions of both profit-maximizing and utility-maximizing (in reducing cost and effort expended in irrigation) decision-making criteria. The results indicate that there is a coincidence of interests of the farmer and the environment. Both behaviors result in less nitrate leaching than less profitable or less …

Tourism Dependency And Its Correlation To Selected Socioeconomic Indicators In Utah, Diane S. Gooch

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This paper investigates the relationship between tourism and well being, or quality-of-life, within eighteen counties in Utah. To evaluate the relationship, comparisons of the counties' differing levels of tourism versus their levels of welfare are necessary. To make these comparisons, three basic steps were followed. First, a social ordering model was derived. The proposed social ordering model was based upon Maslow's theory of the hierarchy of human needs. By utilizing his theory, both economic and noneconomic indicators were identified, and a basis was provided upon which to judge the differing positions of well-being. Factor analysis was applied to this model …

Production And Inefficiency, Arunava Bhattacharyya

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The overall purpose of this three-part dissertation is to specify and estimate various components of inefficiency in the production and profit-generating processes. Flexibility in inefficiency-measurement techniques is introduced using stochastic functional forms to overcome the restrictions of the simplifying assumptions used in previous studies. In addition, the profit function approach is used to measure firm specific inefficiency and to view profit inefficiency in the multiple output context. Empirical application of each approach is also attempted. Application of the measurement of the inefficiency component in the first two essays is made using data taken from Indian agriculture. The multiple output model …

A National Survey Of Enterprise Budget Development And Use By The Extension Service, Douglas W. Eck

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis investigates the development and use of viii agricultural enterprise budgets. An enterprise is a single crop or livestock commodity, and enterprise budgets are valuable management tools. They serve as the basic building blocks of complete farm planning.

Two separate surveys gathered information from the Extension Service concerning the use and development of enterprise budgets. Analysis of the survey results identified the most common methods used to create enterprise budgets as well as factors that contribute to their use.

A regression analysis was performed to determine the factors influencing the number of times county agents directly refer to published …

An Examination Of Open- And Closed-Economic Conditions In Operant Research, Craig R. Loftin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The effect of economic condition on the relation between responding and overall rate of reinforcement has been an area of recent interest in operant research. The present research was conducted to determine whether the manipulation of the economic condition, by the systematic manipulation of the provision of substitute food, has an effect on this relation and whether open- and closed-economies represent two opposing alternatives or two parametric extremes along a continuum. The results of two experiments conducted with pigeons using variable-interval and fixed-ratio schedules of reinforcement suggest that the manipulation of economic condition has a controlling effect on the relation …

An Analytical Study Of The Short-Run Variability Of Korea's Balance Of Payments, 1961-85: Application Of Keynesian And Monetary Approaches To The Problem, Dong Yeub Kim

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The relationships among the balance of payments and other macroeconomic variables in the Korean economy for the period 1961-85 are analyzed in this study. Theoretical studies on the effects of government policies on the economy and the balance of payments were conducted under both the Keynesian and monetary approaches. The Keynesian approach concentrates on the commodity and capital market adjustment factors and does not focus on the money market factors, whereas the monetary approach considers the balance of payments adjustments as a symptom of money market disequilibrium alone.

The basic assumptions of those two approaches, taken seperately, are not fully …

Factors Affecting The Long-Term Market And Profit Potential Of The Utah Apple Industry, Jodie R. Harris

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Utah apple industry is a small competitor in a major market. Efforts were made to analyze the long-term market and profitability potential of the industry. This study consisted of two parts, whole farm simulations and a consumer preference survey.

A whole-farm simulation model (FLIPSIM) was used to evaluate and test variations in price, debt load and sizes of Utah apple production units. These variations examined the effects of various possible market and financial conditions that producers could face given the current situation of the apple industry. FLIPSIM was used to demonstrate the stochastic nature of prices and yields of …

An Estimation Of Primary Benefits Realized On Three Bureau Of Reclamation Projects, Steven D. C. Mcqueen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Three Bureau of Reclamation projects, which represent a broad cross-section of the eleven total in Utah, are studied in order to shed light on the value of the invested resources to U.S. taxpayers, the people of Utah, and the local farmers.

The bureau's nonmultiple-purpose projects in Utah are termed "supplemental" as opposed to "full-service" because some amount of irrigation was already in place.

Recent findings from field trials of yield vs. evapotranspiration for major crops grown in the Western states were employed to assess the annual productive value of existing river water rights had the three projects not been built. …

Economic Simulation Of Selected Management Strategies For A Typical Dairy Farm Faced With Declining Milk Prices, M. Reed Balls

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this thesis is to study the effect of lower milk support prices trigger ed by chronic surplus production problems and to offer alter native management strategies for dairymen caught in the cash flow squeeze precipitated by resulting cuts in the producer price of milk. Historical dairy policy is reviewed and recommendations are offered for consideration in developing dairy policy over the next decade.

FLIPSIM V, a powerful, firm-level computerized simulation model is employed to predict the probable outcome of employing alternative management strategies designed to improve profitability for individual dairymen. The study focuses on a typical farm …

An Historical Overview Of The Evolutions Of Institutions Dealing With Water Resource Use And Water Resource Development In Utah 1847 Through 1947, John Swenson Harvey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis studies the development of social and legal institutions that have controlled the pattern of water development in Utah from 1847 to 1947. The thesis is divided into three parts to facilitate the study of the diverse influences on water development. The first part deals with the mormon church and pioneer influences and private development during the late 1800s. The second begins with statehood and records the changes in the state's institutions up to 1947. The third part is a summary of the entire process. It relates pioneer, private, and state influences to each other and the current (1989) …

Incremental Returns To Cattle Feeding From Alternative Feedlot Practices, Ibrahim R. Hani

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The main goals of this study are to: 1) identify the influence of various breeds, feeds, and hormone additives on the final weight or the rate of gain of feeder cattle; 2) determine the physical relationships among breeds, feeds, hormone additives, and other variables; and 3) estimate the costs and benefits associated with alternative feed and/or hormone additives and other variables to determine whether the benefits of using different breeds, feeds, and hormone additives exceed the costs. The linear mode l was initially chosen and showed that Rumensin additive and Angus and Simmental cross breeds were not significant on the …

A Study In The Distribution Of Gains From International Trade, Suhas C. Chakrabartty

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In order to investigate the phenomenon of the distribution of gains from international trade, Arghiri Emmanuel's ideas are firs t critically discussed, particularly in relation to the traditional Ricardian framework as applied to labor-surplus economics.

It is found that Emmanuel's concept of unequal exchange, which has been termed non-equivalent exchange by Jan Otto Anderson, has certain theoretical drawbacks. In particular, it has been pointed out that the question involved is not one to prove that the poor countries are actually worse off through trade as suggested by Emmanuel. The question involved is rather one of redistribution of gains from trade …

Big Game Depredation To Crops And Orchards In Seven Counties Of Northern And Central Utah: A Case Study, Kerry C. Mcbride

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Depredation to crops and orchards is a problem for agricultural producers in many states where big game are in close proximity to land used for ag-production. Heavy snowfall has created a serious big game depredation in Utah in recent years. Heavy snowfall covers big game feed during winter months, which creates a serious demand on cultivated land to maintain the big game herds at current levels. Many operators believe that current big game herd sizes are too large available feed, and should be reduced to prevent damage to agricultural production. Many big game managers believe otherwise.

This study looked at …

Insulation Of Small Open Economies In The Presence Of External Disturbances Under Alternative Exchange Rate Systems, Hamid Reza Azad

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study analyzes the determination of the exchange rate system in a small economy when external real and monetary disturbances occur. Choice of exchange rate policy is investigated using a model assuming rational expectations and a loss function expressing the squared deviations of the small country output from desired output. The distinguishing feature of the analysis is the emphasis on real as well as monetary disturbances which originate abroad but are a source of domestic output variation. the link between foreign monetary and real disturbances and variance in output is traced using the thoretical model and the loss function assumed. …

Problems Of Data Collection For Economic Research In Small Farmer Agriculture: Some Experience In Somalia, Aden Abdullahi Aw-Hassan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purposes of this thesis are twofold. The first is to show problems encountered in collecting and analyzing data on small-holder agriculture. The second is to describe the role of data in supporting research and rationalization of alternatives for sustaining agricultural strategies in development.

Data collected from six villages of the Lower Shebelle Region of Somalia are taken as a case study to show the difficulties encountered in procurement and analysis of that data. The thesis discusses data collection methods that ensure gathering adequate data that can be used to undertake production economics and farm management research. The thesis also …

Economic Feasibility Of Assembling Grade-A Milk By Protein Content, W. Stephen Lei

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis consisted of two computerized simulations of assembling milk from dairy farms and distributing it to milk plants, using TRUCKSTOPS, a commercial truck routing computer program. In the first simulation milk was assembled and delivered to the nearest available plant without regard to protein content, with the high-protein milk delivered to manufacturing plants. Doing so increased the fat and protein in milk delivered to manufacturing plants, and increased cheese production 2.6 percent. It also increased assembly costs and lowered fat and protein in milk delivered to fluid milk plants. The value of the extra cheese was less than the …

Measuring Natural Resource Scarcity Under Common Property Environment And Uncertainty: An Interpretive Analysis, Soumendra N. Ghosh

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The issue of natural resource scarcity has so far been addressed in the literature on the basis of various measures such as the unit cost of production, the relative market price, and the shadow price of a resource. Although it has been recognized that there exists some kind of jointness (sometimes inseparable) between an extractible resource and its surrounding environment, none of the measures, either theoretically or empirically, have included this concern.

In order to extract and use a natural resource (e.g., coal) the environment (air, water, etc.) must also be used as a repository of the discharged wastes (e.g., …

Study Of America's Adopt-A-Horse (Or Burro) Program, Peter A. Lawson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study analyzes aspects of Wild and Free-Roaming Horse and Burro adoptions. After primary data are gathered by a questionnaire sent to wild horse and burro adopters, various statistics, and regression test results are reported, which indicate that the demand for the wild horses is multifaceted and that the wild animals are not a homogeneous product. The results overwhelmingly indicate that young and female horses are preferred by the majority of adopters. This finding had supportive evidence in both a price determination model as well as adopters' responses to the survey that was conducted as a part of this study. …

An Analysis Of Some Effects Of China's Foreign Trade On Its Economy, Wei Jiang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The central planning board in China issues orders to each economic agent mainly through two channels, ministries and provinces. These orders become the targets for every specific economic agent. The orders to the Foreign Trade Ministry become the targets for all import and export corporations, provincial foreign trade bureaus, and branch corporations. The activities of all branch corporations comprise China's foreign trade business.

The activities of the foreign trade sector are certainly influenced by features of the entire economy such as the domestic fixed-price system and labor immobility. These factors not only constrain foreign trade activities but also cause inefficiency …

Trade Liberalization: The Impact On Utah's Dairy And Meat Industries, Tyler J. Bowles

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Trade liberalization in dairy and meat products is of significant interest for Utah since 75 percent of Utah farm cash receipts are from these two products and both product groups are net U.S. imports. This thesis analyzes the impact that trade liberalization in dairy and meat products would have on Utah's dairy and meat industries and Utah's general economy.

A model based upon the current level of imports and exports, the price elasticity of import demand, and the tariff equivalent of import restrictions is used to estimate the production changes in Utah's dairy and meat industries that would result from …

Contingent Valuation Of Early Intervention Programs For Handicapped Children, Colette M. Escobar

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Early intervention programs for handicapped preschool children may have long-term implications for the children and their families. Economic evaluations of these programs have been conducted to measure costs and benefits, but parental willingness-to-pay has been overlooked in these analyses. Parental willingness-to-pay, as a measure of consumer surplus, could complete the measure of benefits and provide both policymakers and practitioners with useful information for decision-making. In this study, the implications of eliciting willingness-to-pay responses for an early intervention program for handicapped preschoolers are discussed. A survey technique, known as the contingent valuation method (CVM), is applied to program to empirically estimate …