212-323/423 Agricultural Policies and International Trade

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Objectives:

Students should: extend the range of their economic reasoning and analytical skills to enable them to be well-equipped for careers in the areas of applied economics or agribusiness. (Note: students with these career paths in mind are also encouraged to take 212-410 Agricultural Business Management and Marketing, together with approved subjects from the Faculty of Economics and Commerce.)

Students should be able to: understand the reasons for government intervention in the agricultural sectors of several countries, including Australia, and have a knowledge of the policy objectives being pursued, together with the policy instruments employed; analyse the effects of agricultural protectionism on international trade and be knowledgeable about the outcome of the Uruguay Round in the GATT; analyse environmental issues as they relate to trade issues in food and fibre; understand the issue of world food security.

Content:

The reasons for government intervention in the agricultural sector. The principal agricultural policy issues in Australia, the European Union, the United States and Japan. The effects of these policies on international trade in agricultural products. Agriculture in the GATT and the WTO. Environmental issues as they relate to trade in food and fibre products. Aspects of the world food problem.

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