Brian gave us good news from Ann Arbor. Here is what economists say
about land use: large, monocultural farms with no windbreaks are best
suited to fight erosion. Huh???
"Small Farms, Externalities, and the Dust Bowl of the 1930's"
BY: ZEYNEP KOCABIYIK HANSEN
Washington University, St. Louis
John M. Olin School of Business
GARY D. LIBECAP
University of Arizona - Karl Eller Center
National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
Document: Available from the SSRN Electronic Paper Collection:
http://papers.ssrn.com/paper.taf?abstract_id=463422
Paper ID: NBER Working Paper No. W10055
Date: November 2003
Contact: GARY D. LIBECAP
Email: Mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Postal: University of Arizona - Karl Eller Center
McClelland Hall
Tucson, AZ 85721-0108 UNITED STATES
Phone: 520-621-4821
Fax: 520-626-5269
Co-Auth: ZEYNEP KOCABIYIK HANSEN
Email: Mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Postal: Washington University, St. Louis
John M. Olin School of Business
One Brookings Drive
Campus Box 1133
St. Louis, MO 63130-4899 UNITED STATES
ABSTRACT:
We provide a new and more complete analysis of the origins of
the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, one of the most severe environmental
crises in North America in the 20th Century. Severe drought and
wind erosion hit the Great Plains in 1930 and lasted through
1940. There were similar droughts in the 1950s and 1970s, but no
comparable level of wind erosion. We explain why. The prevalence
of small farms in the 1930s limited private solutions for
controlling the downwind externalities associated with wind
erosion. Drifting sand from unprotected fields damaged
neighboring farms. Small farmers cultivated more of their land
and were less likely to invest in erosion control than were
larger farmers. Soil Conservation Districts, established by
government after 1937, helped coordinate erosion control. This
'unitized' solution for collective action is similar to that
used in other natural resource/environmental settings.
JEL Classification: Q24, N52, O13, K11
"Small Farms, Externalities, and the Dust Bowl of the 1930's"
BY: ZEYNEP KOCABIYIK HANSEN
Washington University, St. Louis
John M. Olin School of Business
GARY D. LIBECAP
University of Arizona - Karl Eller Center
National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
Document: Available from the SSRN Electronic Paper Collection:
http://papers.ssrn.com/paper.taf?abstract_id=463422
Paper ID: NBER Working Paper No. W10055
Date: November 2003
Contact: GARY D. LIBECAP
Email: Mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Postal: University of Arizona - Karl Eller Center
McClelland Hall
Tucson, AZ 85721-0108 UNITED STATES
Phone: 520-621-4821
Fax: 520-626-5269
Co-Auth: ZEYNEP KOCABIYIK HANSEN
Email: Mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Postal: Washington University, St. Louis
John M. Olin School of Business
One Brookings Drive
Campus Box 1133
St. Louis, MO 63130-4899 UNITED STATES
ABSTRACT:
We provide a new and more complete analysis of the origins of
the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, one of the most severe environmental
crises in North America in the 20th Century. Severe drought and
wind erosion hit the Great Plains in 1930 and lasted through
1940. There were similar droughts in the 1950s and 1970s, but no
comparable level of wind erosion. We explain why. The prevalence
of small farms in the 1930s limited private solutions for
controlling the downwind externalities associated with wind
erosion. Drifting sand from unprotected fields damaged
neighboring farms. Small farmers cultivated more of their land
and were less likely to invest in erosion control than were
larger farmers. Soil Conservation Districts, established by
government after 1937, helped coordinate erosion control. This
'unitized' solution for collective action is similar to that
used in other natural resource/environmental settings.
--
Michael Perelman
Economics Department
California State University
michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Chico, CA 95929
530-898-5321
fax 530-898-5901
