Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics Summer 2014 University of Connecticut

ARE 1110 FINAL EXAM GUIDE: IMPORTANT CONCEPTS AND TOPICS

Lecture Module 1

Readings - Miller and Spoolman, Chapter 1 and Supplement 5 (pp. S31-S38); Withgott and

Laposata, Chapter 6 and Appendix B (pp. B1-B4); Tierney; McCoy; Peterson; Baumol & Blinder;

Ausubel, et al.; Goodwin

Homework Assignment

Videos - Economic Development: A Global Challenge, Earth Day 40 - Connecticut's

Environment: Past, Present, and Future

Discussion 1

Worldwide Population Statistics & Trends in Population Growth (J-Shaped Curve)

Malthusian & Cornucopian World Views

Trends in Natural Resource Prices, Resource Availability, and Environmental Quality

Microeconomics vs. Macroeconomics

Demand & Supply, Market Equilibrium

Shortage, Surplus, Shifts in Demand & Supply

Externalities - External Costs & External Benefits

Marginal Benefit & Marginal Cost - Private vs. Social

Market Failure, Policies to Correct Market Failures (Taxes, Subsidies, Quotas, Permits)

Economic Growth & Its Measurement (GDP, GNI, NNP, NNI, Per Capita Measures)

Limitations of Per Capita GNI as a Measure of National Well-being

Trends in U.S. Household Income Distribution

Growing Gap Between More Developed Countries (MDCs) & Less Developed Countries (LDCs)

Nonrenewable Resources, Perpetual Resources, Potentially Renewable Resources

Physical vs. Economic Depletion

Carrying Capacity, Sustainable Resource Harvest & Maximum Sustainable Yield

Pollution & Its Sources (Point, Non-Point)

Severity of a Pollutant (Chemical Nature, Concentration, Persistence)

Pollution Control Strategies (Prevention, Abatement, Clean-up)

Hunter-Gatherer Stage, Slash-and-Burn Agriculture (Shifting Cultivation, Subsistence Farming)

Agricultural Revolution

Industrial Revolution.(Characteristics, Causes, Social & Environmental Impacts)

U.S. Environmental History & Legislation (Waves of Conservation and Set-backs, Evolution of Institutions and Laws)

Connecticut’s Environmental History, Evolution of Laws and Institutions, and Future Prospects

Lecture Module 2

Readings - Withgott and Laposata, Chapters 8 and 13; Jacobson; Haub; Dasgupta; Economist;

Boyd, Caballero, and Simpson

Video - World in the Balance

Population Growth – Worldwide, MDC & LDC Trends

Determinants of Population Growth Rate - Birth, Death, Immigration, & Emigration Rates (in % terms)

Crude Birth & Crude Death Rates, Rate of Natural Increase

Determinants of Birth, Fertility, & Death Rates, Birth & Death Rate Trends for MDCs & LDCs

China’s Great Famine – Causes & Consequences

Total Fertility Rate, Replacement Level Fertility Rate

Fertility and Population Growth Trends in the U.S.

Life Expectancy, Infant Mortality Rate

Comparison of Demographic & and Socio-Economic Performance of MDCs & LDCs

Age Structure Statistics & Diagrams

Theory of Demographic Transition, Computer Models

Need for Population Control in Some LDCs – Global vs. Local Perspective, Role of Common Property Resources

Methods & Policies for Population Control, Description & Evaluation of Population Control Policy in China & India, Nature of Continuing Challenges

Demographic Issues Facing MDCs like U.S. and Japan

Urban Area, Degree of Urbanization, Worldwide Patterns of Urbanization & Trends in Urban Growth

Sources & Causes of Urban Growth, Problems of Urban Areas (MDCs vs. LDCs)

Urban Sprawl

Issues in Transportation (Advantages & Disadvantages of Individual Auto Transit, Mass Transit & Its History in the U.S., Policy Issues and Options)

Need for Preservation of Rural & Urban Open Space

Methods and Policies of Controlling Urban Land Use (Cluster Development, Zoning, Conservation Easements, Tradable Development Rights)

Lecture Module 3: Water, Food, and Other Resources

Readings – Withgott and Laposata, Chapters 9, 10, 11, 12 and 15 (pp. 388-408); Mellor;

Prosterman, Hanstad, and Ping; Kates; Economist; Ferraro and Simpson

Videos - Thirst, King Corn

Discussions 2 and 3

Fresh Water Availability- Worldwide & U.S., Sources of Freshwarer, Major Uses of Water & Major Areas of Water Scarcity

Surface Water, Groundwater

Water Table, Aquifer (Confined, Unconfined), Withdrawals, Recharge, Groundwater Overdraft (i.e., Aquifer Depletion), Possible Consequences of Aquifer Depletion, Ogallala Aquifer, Common Property Problem & Economics of Aquifer Depletion, Water Conserving Irrigation Methods - Drips, Sprinklers

Surface Water Management (Water Rights Doctrines in U.S.- Riparian & Prior Appropriation, Water Markets & Other Ways of Improving Efficiency)

Privatization of Municipal Water Supplies – Pros & Cons

Dams & Reservoirs - Pros & Cons; China’s Three Gorges Dam

Reservoir Sedimentation and Its Management – Types of Sediment Removal Techniques

Soil Horizons & Soil Profile

Topsoil, Humus, Loams

Determinants of Quality of Agricultural Soils - Water-Holding Capacity, Aeration, Workability, Chemical Properties (e.g., Soil Acidity, Nitrogen Content)

Soil Erosion - Its Causes & Consequences

Types of Soil Erosion - Sheet, Rill & Gully Erosion; Desertification

The Dust Bowl

Externalities and the Economics of Controlling Soil Erosion

Soil Conservation & Reclamation Practices (Conservation Tillage, Contour Farming, Terracing, Strip Cropping, Alley Cropping, Gully Reclamation, Fertilization, Crop Rotation, Land Use Control)

Soil Degradation (Soil Salinization & Waterlogging) & Policy Implications

Types of Agricultural Systems

Green Revolution, Advantages and Disadvantages of Green Revolution Technologies

Characteristics of U.S. Agriculture & Comparison with LDC Agriculture

Poverty and Environmental Degradation in LDCs

Policies for Improving Agricultural Production in China

Types of Pesticides, Characteristics – Persistence, Spectrum, Pros and Cons of Using Pesticides, Alternatives to Pesticides (Modification of Cultivation Procedures, Biological Control, Organic Farming), Integrated Pest Management, Regulation of Pesticides in U.S. (FIFRA)

Sustainable Agriculture

Food Distribution Issues, Concepts of Nutritional Adequacy & Health, Chronic Hunger vs. Starvation, Production Oriented Policies vs. Distribution Oriented Policies

U.S. Agricultural Subsidies – Winners & Losers, Potential for Reform

Importance of Forests, Types of Forests

Systems of Forest Management, Private vs. Social Forestry, Selective-Cutting vs. Clear-Cutting

National Forests and Other Public Lands in U.S., Principles of Sustainable Yield & Multiple Use

Old-Growth Forests and Tropical Forests

Causes and Consequences of Deforestation in the Tropics

Ways of Reducing Tropical Deforestation (Debt-For-Nature Swaps, Conservation Concessions, etc.)

Importance of Preserving Biodiversity in Plant and Animal Species

Human Activities that Threaten Species

Definitions of Endangered and Threatened Species, Laws and Other Ways of Protecting Wild Species (Endangered Species Act, CITES Convention, Wildlife Refuges, Gene Banks, etc.), Importance of Habitat Preservation

Lecture Module 4: Environmental Management

Readings – Withgott and Laposata, Chapters 7, 15 (pp. 408-418), 17, 18 and 22; Ruff; Baumol

and Blinder; Economist; Harris and Codur

Video - Heat

Discussion 4

Reasons for Controlling Pollution (Market Failure – Externalities, Imperfect Information)

Cost-Benefit Analysis, Principle of Marginalism

Determining the Socially Desirable Level of Pollution Control

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis, Achievement of Cost-Effective Pollution Control, Standards vs. Taxes vs. Tradable Permits

Estimation of Benefits and Costs - Techniques for Estimating Non-Market Benefits or Costs (Travel Cost, Property Value, and Contingent Valuation Methods)

Non-hazardous Solid Waste and Its Sources

Alternative Attitudes and Ways of Dealing with Solid Waste - Waste Disposal vs. Waste Reduction, Economic Analysis of Waste Reduction

Policies for Encouraging Waste Reduction and Recycling (e.g., Aluminum, Glass) – Disposal Fees, Beverage Container Deposits and Other Measures

Hazardous Waste Management, U.S. Laws - RCRA and CERCLA (Superfund Act)

Indoor Air Pollution – Important Pollutants, Effects on Human Health, and Possible Solutions

Outdoor Air Pollution - Global vs. Regional & Local Air Pollution

Causes and Consequences of Photochemical Smog and Acid Deposition

U.S. Laws (Clean Air Acts), Cap & Trade Program, Achievements & Limitations

Role of Ozone in Stratosphere, Causes of Its Generation and Destruction, Consequences of Ozone Depletion, Ways of Protecting the Ozone Layer

Global Climate Change – Nature of Evidence

Causes of Greenhouse Effect, Possible Consequences of Global Warming

Politics of Global Climate Change

Ways of Reducing the Threat of Global Warming, International Treaties and their Assessment

Kinds of Water Pollutants and Their Sources (Point, Non-Point)

Pollution of Groundwater, Rivers, and Lakes (Cultural Eutrophication)

Methods of Pollution Control – Prevention vs. Clean-up, U.S. Laws (e.g., Clean Water Act, Water Quality Act, Safe Drinking Water Act) – Achievements & Limitations