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Some Political Arithmetic of Large and Small

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 May 2017

B. F. Stanton
B. F. Stanton*
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Economics, Cornell University
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Extract

Most economists get caught up in one way or another with size and efficiency issues. We all play a numbers game. It may be to describe output and economic activity in any one of the sectors of the food industry. It may be to make comparisons about farm numbers or output among counties, among states or among countries. Most often it involves changes over time as well. But we are all asked to assemble statistics, to explain how these statistics are collected and to make generalizations about what these statistics mean. This is the very essence of the business of applied economists.

Type
Invited Papers
Information
Journal of the Northeastern Agricultural Economics Council , Volume 8 , Issue 2 , October 1979 , pp. 1 - 15
Copyright
Copyright © Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association 

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Footnotes

The author wishes to acknowledge the helpful criticisms of his colleagues particularly Paul Barkley, Richard Boisvert and Brian How.

References

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