published_or_final_version / abstract / Geography / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Chinese / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Community Medicine / Master / Master of Public Health

published_or_final_version / Community Medicine / Master / Master of Public Health

published_or_final_version / abstract / Electrical and Electronic Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Economics and Finance / Master / Master of Economics

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

Expanding groundfish production on the West Coast and in the United States in total, over the past decade, has increased competition in the groundfish market. During the same period, regulations have evolved to control production in the groundfish industry for the purpose of conserving the resource. Other regulations exist to control certain aspects of the market for groundfish. Such regulations are generally expected to have local impacts. However, little consideration is usually given to the impact regulations may have outside a local area. Indeed, since market competition has increased so significantly in this industry, the geographical distribution area has expanded considerably in recent years. Inter-regional impacts should be considered when regulations are established. The purpose of this research was to examine the impact selected regulations may have on markets for groundfish. The hypothesis tested by this research is stated as the following: regulations intended to impact local regions have no more than a local affect. Stated another way, regulatory authorities at state or regional levels generally intend to impose regulations that do not impact regions other than those under their jurisdiction. The test, then, is to determine if other regions are affected by "localized" regulations. The regulations to be examined include restriction or alteration of production in a limited region and established intra-state transportation rates (for seafood) that limit competition in the state transportation market. Specifically, alternative distribution patterns were generated in response to postulated changes in: (1) the availability of groundfish in the Oregon region and (2) California intra-state transportation rates to reflect more competition in the seafood transportation market (lower rates). The hypothesis was tested by estimating demand equations for groundfish, employing these in a spatial equilibrium model, and subjecting the results to a sensitivity analysis. The hypothesis testing consists of four parts, each independently insufficient to reject the hypothesis. As a whole, however, the four parts should provide enough evidence (although not a statistical test) to reject the hypothesis. The results of the research indicate rejection of the hypothesis was acceptable. Indeed, several of the regions where no affect was expected in response to the postulated changes showed significant impacts. This research was a pioneering attempt. The results are not conclusive, in part because of the absence of appropriate data. However, the results were significant enough to indicate promising possibilities for future research. In fact, a major contribution of the work was to point out how this research technique can be improved by refining inputs to the model and increasing its complexity to reflect more of the available routes associated with different product forms, product transport techniques and different species. The major result of the research was to indicate the need to consider impacts which extend beyond the local market in establishing regulations. / Graduation date: 1986

This thesis is an attempt to develop a theoretical microeconomic model which can be used to examine the short-run demand for the timeliness of farm machinery repairs. This analysis focuses on the timing of the repair after a breakdown has occurred. The nonstochastic model developed allows the incorporation of the timing of the repair as a variable input into a production function. A yield function (a function which gives the instantaneous rate of output in bushels per acre as a function of the date of harvest) is used in deriving this production function. From the production function a demand curve for the timeliness of repairs can be derived. A constrained input demand curve (CIDC) is used to examine the demand for timely repairs. A specific functional form of the yield function is used in order to allow an easier examination of how various parameters affect the CIDC. Several testable hypotheses which result from the model are presented. An attempted test of one of the hypotheses is discussed. / Graduation date: 1971

The purpose of this thesis is to present the results of a study of the impacts of the Conservation Reserve Program, Title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985, on the economies of small communities located in Gilliam, Morrow and Umatilla Counties in Oregon. These counties are representative of many rural counties which are extremely dependent on agriculture for their economic well-being. The main objectives of this study are to determine: 1) the economic impacts of an agricultural policy, in this case the CRP, on rural communities; and 2) who may benefit and who may be adversely affected by the policy. As the structure of agriculture continues to change, communities as well as individual farmers, will experience this change in varying degrees. In general, the outlook for rural communities which are so dependent on agriculture is somewhat bleak. The focus of this thesis, therefore, is to attempt to assess the impact of the Conservation Reserve Program on such communities. / Graduation date: 1988