Agriculture in the Czech Lands and Slovakia: Some Problems, Policy Options and the Potential for Benefit-Cost Evaluation
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The Department of Economic Science was founded in 1898 to teach economic theory as a truth of industrial life, and was very much concerned with applying economics to business and industry, particularly agriculture. Between 1910 and 1967 it showed the growing influence of other social studies, such as sociology, history, and political science. Today it encompasses the majors of Agricultural Business (preparing for agricultural finance and management), Business Economics, and Economics (for advanced studies in business or economics or for careers in financing, management, insurance, etc).
History
The Department of Economic Science was founded in 1898 under the Division of Industrial Science (later College of Liberal Arts and Sciences); it became co-directed by the Division of Agriculture in 1919. In 1910 it became the Department of Economics and Political Science. In 1913 it became the Department of Applied Economics and Social Science; in 1924 it became the Department of Economics, History, and Sociology; in 1931 it became the Department of Economics and Sociology. In 1967 it became the Department of Economics, and in 2007 it became co-directed by the Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Business.
Dates of Existence
1898–present
Historical Names
- Department of Economic Science (1898–1910)
- Department of Economics and Political Science (1910-1913)
- Department of Applied Economics and Social Science (1913–1924)
- Department of Economics, History and Sociology (1924–1931)
- Department of Economics and Sociology (1931–1967)
Related Units
- College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (parent college)
- College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (parent college)
- College of Business (parent college)
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Abstract
Analyses of proposed policy changes often include three phases. First, the effect on the market is shown. Then the groups that gain and loose are identified. Finally, applied economists often quantify the benefits and costs, using methods such as supply and demand estimates from statistical studies of the market. Quantification draws criticism sometimes, because this process is imprecise. The criticism may take the form of "this is not a problem" or "it's not possible to answer these questions". However, decisions made with imprecise information are probably better than decisions that are avoided because there is no information, or decisions that are made in spite of the lack of information.
Benefit-cost studies are beginning to appear in the analyses of the agricultural policy problems Eastern European countries. But there is still a lot to do. Below I review a few problems in the agricultural sectors in Czech Lands and Slovakia: In each case, I show how a proposed policy would affect the market and identify the benefits and costs. Then I explain how benefits might be quantified in further research. The problems considered below are the association agreements with the European Community in the trade area, the food security problem in the domestic policy area, and the employment policy of agricultural firms in the transition area.
Comments
This article is from Agricultural Economics 40 (1994): 39. Posted with permission.