programs" (NAPs) for electric utilities. See Bernard S. Black & Richard J. Pierce, Jr., The Choice Between Markets and Central Planning in Regulating the U.S. Electricity Industry, 93 Colum. L. Rev. 1339, 1354-85 (1993). Why is this relevant? NAPs are subsidies for forgone generating capacity and are therefore properly conceptualized as "negative" non-Pigovian taxes on pollution related to the generation of electricity. This entire set of concerns is in fact an outgrowth of the general theory of second best, an economic critique of any and all imperfect regulatory measures. See, e.g., R.G. Lipsey & Kelvin Lancaster, The General Theory of Second Best, 24 Rev. Econ. Stud. 11 (1956); F.M. Scherer & David Ross, Industrial Market Structure and Market Performance 36-38 (3d ed. 1990). I hope this information helps. Incidentally, I would love to see what conclusions the debaters reach. Best wishes, Jim Chen Associate Professor of Law University of Minnesota Law School 229 19th Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55455 voice: (612) 625-4839 fax: (612) 625-2011 --- * Origin: [via Psychotronic BBS = Durham, NC = 919-286-4542]sustag- (1:3641/1) @PATH: 3641/1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (45) Mon 21 Nov 94 22:49 By: Jim Chen To: All Re: Theory and praxis, part 2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- @MSGID: 1:3641/223 0006a9b7 @PID GIGO+ sn 175 at psybbs vsn 0.99 pl1 From: chenx064@maroon.tc.umn.edu (Jim Chen) @Subject: Theory and praxis, part 2 Date: 21 Nov 1994 22:49:01 -0000 @Sender: daemon@bigblue.oit.unc.edu @Message-Id: <65895.chenx064@maroon.tc.umn.edu> Re Clayton Rye's response to my recent post (for which, incidentally, I am quite grateful): Three points you made, all worthy of further notice and discussion -- 1. "grateful for my wife's job in town" 2. "cheap food and revolution" 2. "nationalization or deregulation" 1. Perhaps inadvertently, you hit upon some truths about rural economies today. Rural development does not depend on farm incomes; most farm households draw the bulk of their disposable income from off-farm employment. Small farms rely overwhelmingly on off-farm income; medium- sized farms reflect an almost perfect balance between farm and off-farm income. See Bruce Gardner, Demythologizing Farm Income, Choices, 1st Q. 1993, at 22, 23. Off-farm income, given the structure and traditional dynamics of farm family relationships, is female income. Massive human exodus and the attending sociological catastrophe have usually occurred in response to the elimination of "female" labor opportunities rather than "male" labor opportunities. Lowell, Mass., typified this phenomenon in the years so poignantly depicted in Theodore Dreiser's novel, An American Tragedy; Herman, Minn., with its recent and arguably humiliating plea for women, any women, willing to move to the more distant corners of this state shows how live the issue remains today. Female labor in rural America, as it is in the rest of the economy, largely rests on the health of the "FIRE" industries: *F*inance, *I*nsurance, *R*eal *E*state. As such, a rural development strategy that focuses exclusively or even primarily on agriculture is likely to fail. "Sustainable agriculture" as a sociological exercise -- as opposed to its distinct ecological objectives -- doesn't work, won't work, and (quite frankly) shouldn't work. (Please excuse the sweeping generalizations: this is Internet, after all, not a peer-reviewed professional journal, and I am thoroughly aware of the difference.) 2. Cheap food and revolution: Yup, food ought to be cheap, consistent with the fully internalized social cost of production. I thought that was the one constant that tied this newsgroup together. Geez -- who could be a proponent of _un_sustainable agriculture? But maybe not, if cheap, properly priced food means lower farm incomes, especially for operators of small to medium multi-generational farms. It does seem awfully fashionable to trash policies that reduce commodity prices -- precisely because too many agriculturalists treat maximized farm incomes rather than social welfare in its broadest sense as the economic norm we should be seeking. 3. Nationalization or deregulation? Well, in theory either system would be preferable to a mangled regulatory agenda. Nationalization in practice, however, has left the former republics of the Soviet Union in the grotesque position of being simultaneously the world's largest producers of wheat and the world's largest *importers*. That's right, Mother Russia can't even feed herself, not after seventy-five years of collectivization and state ownership. All other things being equal, I'd opt for complete repeal of the 1949 Agriculture Act and the battery of statutes delivering water and grazing subsidies to the farming West. Again, I realize that this is an oversimplified portrayal of the legislative situation. I also admit that, politics being what they are, I had better formulate some fallback recommendations on the carnival that will be Farm Bill '95 under the supervision of Speaker Newt and Leader Bob. Time to go back to work on slamming the latest five-year plan for American agriculture. See you all later on the 'net. Best regards, Jim Chen Associate Professor of Law University of Minnesota Law School 229 19th Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55455 voice: (612) 625-4839 fax: (612) 625-2011 --- * Origin: [via Psychotronic BBS = Durham, NC = 919-286-4542]sustag- (1:3641/1) @PATH: 3641/1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (46) Mon 21 Nov 94 22:49 By: Ray Dobert To: All Re: "Biotech and Sustainable Ag: A Bibliography" AVAILABLE ---------------------------------------------------------------------- @MSGID: 1:3641/223 0006a9b8 @PID GIGO+ sn 175 at psybbs vsn 0.99 pl1 From: rdobert@nalusda.gov (Ray Dobert) @Subject: "Biotech and Sustainable Ag: A Bibliography" AVAILABLE Date: 21 Nov 1994 22:49:15 -0000 @Sender: daemon@bigblue.oit.unc.edu @Message-Id: @Mime-Version: 1.0 @Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII The following publication is now available from the Biotechnology and Alternative Farming Systems Information Centers (NAL/USDA). BIOTECHNOLOGY AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE: A BIBLIOGRAPHY A range of crops and agricultural products have been modified using the molecular tools of biotechnology will likely be utilized in U.S. agricultural systems in the near future. At the same time, an increasing number of farmers are adopting sustainable cultural practices. Are these two developments compatible? Over the past decade a body of literature has accumulated addressing this question. This Special Reference Brief (SRB 94-13), prepared jointly by the Biotechnology Information Center and the Alternative Farming Systems Information Center of the USDA's National Agricultural Library, contains citations and keywords to 127 books, reports, magazine and journal articles that focus on this issue. It provides an introduction to the debate surrounding the use of biotechnology in sustainable farming systems. While not an exhaustive search of the literature, its purpose is to serve as a foundation upon which to build a continuing dialogue. The scope of literature covered is broad, and includes the impact of biotechnology on technical deployment of alternative control methods, e.g. biocontrol and integrated pest management (IPM), as well as the cultural and sociological issues surrounding the changes that this new technology might bring to agriculture. Agriculture is a global enterprise, so many of the articles focus on the international arena and role of biotechnology in sustainable development in developing countries. Several bibliographic databases, including AGRICOLA and CAB Abstracts, were used to locate appropriate citations. This publication is now available from the Biotechnology Information Center or the Alternative Farming Systems Information Center. To receive a copy by mail please send a self-addressed label to one of the addresses below. The bibliography is also available at the NAL gopher at: gopher.nalusda.gov, OR via WWW at http://www.inform.umd.edu/EdRes/Topic/AgrEnv/Biotech Look under Information Centers/Biotech Info Center/Bibliographies. If you have any questions or require further information, please contact: Biotechnology Information Center National Agricultural Library, Fourth Floor 10301 Baltimore Blvd. Beltsville, Maryland 20705-2351, USA.