Agricultural and Environmental Policy
| Numbering Code | U-AGR04 3D304 LJ82 | Year/Term | 2022 ・ First semester | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Credits | 2 | Course Type | Lecture | |
| Target Year | 3rd year students | Target Student | ||
| Language | Japanese | Day/Period | Fri.3 | |
| Instructor name | Ito Junichi (Graduate School of Agriculture Professor) | |||
| Outline and Purpose of the Course | In this course, students will learn about the conservation and management of shared rural resources, direct payments for environmental and ecosystem services (e.g., Payments for Environmental and Ecosystem Services), market trading of agricultural products, adverse selection in food markets, food self-sufficiency and agricultural protection, resource allocation and income distribution in competitive markets, determinations of international transaction and trade patterns of agricultural products, technical characteristics of food production, optimization behavior of agricultural management entities, subsidiary business and structural issues of agriculture, and rice policy reform based on the basic concepts of microeconomics. We will also clarify the advantages and disadvantages of agricultural and environmental policies and agricultural protectionism from the perspective of welfare economics. These are essential themes for understanding food, agriculture, and environmental policies in Japan and worldwide. | |||
| Course Goals | This course aims to deepen students’ understanding of perspectives and analytical methods for considering food, agriculture, and environmental issues from an economic point of view. Students in the Department of Food and Environmental Economics can use this to develop their research questions for their graduation theses. | |||
| Schedule and Contents |
1. Tragedy of the commons ・Lecture 1: Tragedy of the commons ・Lecture 2: Direct payments for environmental and ecosystem services 2. Agricultural markets ・Lecture 3: Advantages and disadvantages of market mechanisms ・Lecture 4: The global agricultural market ・Lecture 5: Food self-sufficiency rates and agricultural protection 3. Competitive market assessment ・Lecture 6: Pareto optimality and economic surplus analysis ・Lecture 7: Resource allocation and income distribution 4. Theory of international trade ・Lecture 8: Determination of trade patterns ・Lecture 9: Comparative agricultural degradation with economic growth ・Lecture 10: Globalization and nonmarket value 5. Producer theory ・Lecture 11: Technology selection for food production ・Lecture 12: Optimization actions of agricultural management entities ・Lecture 13: Agricultural structure problems and agricultural land transactions ・Lecture 14: Rice policy reform and the development of paddy field agriculture [Final examination] 6. Feedback ・Lecture 15: Summary of the course and feedback |
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| Evaluation Methods and Policy |
Grading method: Final examination grades (70%) and the submission of reports, etc. Grading criteria: Grading criteria and policies are based on the grading criteria and policies described in the Handbook of the Faculty of Agriculture for the applicable year. |
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| Course Requirements | Recommended prerequisites: Understanding of the basic theories of microeconomics and mathematical economics | |||
| Study outside of Class (preparation and review) | Notes that will be used during the lectures will be distributed in advance; be sure to read and understand them. | |||
| Textbooks | Textbooks/References | None. Read the notes for each lecture before attending. | ||
| References, etc. | 神取道宏 『ミクロ経済学の力』 (日本評論社), 荏開津典生・鈴木宣弘 『農業経済学』 (岩波書店), 生源寺眞一 『日本農業の真実』 (筑摩書房) | |||
