Agricultural & Resource Economics Theses and Dissertations

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    An Economic Study of 128 Dairy Farms on the Upper Eastern Shore of Maryland
    (1938) Smith, Carl B.; DeVault, S.H.; Hamilton, A.B.; Agricultural & Resource Economics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)
    This study analyzes the second year's survey or 128 dairy farms, representative of the dairy industry on the Upper Eastern Shore of Maryland. This area, which includes Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne's, Talbot, and Caroline counties, is a part of the Philadelphia Milk Shed.
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    The Attitudes of Volunteer Leaders in Cecil, Harford and Kent Counties, Maryland Toward Involvement of Handicapped in 4-H Programs
    (1982) Coleman, Bernardine Marie; Booth, Nan; Agricultural & Resource Economics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)
    The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine if volunteer 4-H leaders in Cecil, Harford, and Kent Counties in Maryland were receptive towards involvement of handicapped youth in 4-H programs and if training was needed prior to program implementation. Seventy-four volunteer leaders in the three counties surveyed returned completed mail questionnaires. An attitude rating scale was used to assess leaders attitudes toward involvement of handicapped youth in 4-H programs. Demographic and personal data were requested in Part II of the survey instrument. Frequency distribution and the chi-square test were used to analyze data. Level of significance was set at .05. The majority of leaders had positive feelings about the involvement of handicapped youth in 4-H programs but felt training was needed before involvement took place. Significant relationships were found between age and the attitudes concerning, l) involvement of handicapped youth as being a good experience for other 4-H members, 2) handicapped youth being able to participate adequately in 4-H programs, 3) 4-H being a help to mentally retarded youth and, 4) the belief that other groups were meeting the needs of handicapped youth. Significant relationships were also found between education and the attitude concerning, l) involvement of handicapped youth as being a good experience for handicapped youth, 2) feeling comfortable with emotionally handicapped, educable and trainable mentally retarded children and, 3) having adequate training to work with handicapped youth.
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    A Calculus of Efficiency for Public Goods: The Case of Public Outdoor Recreation
    (1972) Ulfat, Abderrahman; Tuthill, Dean F.; Agricultural and Resource Economics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)
    The characteristics of public outdoor recreation as a public good are ascertained. A cost-benefit analysis is applied which ensures efficiency, while allowing for the pecuniary and technological externalities that exist in the development of outdoor recreation resorts. A total willingness to pay technique is utilized to approximate the consumer's valuation of benefits from recreation. Essential to the technique is the derivation of total willingness to pay curve which parallels the demand curve for private goods. Total willingness to pay is used instead of consumer's surplus, because the latter is associated with a market price which is not determined for public outdoor recreation. Since the total willingness to pay curve is a function of income distribution, once derived, the curve can be adjusted to rid the analysis of income distribution bias. The adjustment helps achieve equity in the allocation of recreational resorts. Fort Frederick State Park provided a case of application for the technique. A sample survey conducted in the Fort was the basis for the derivation of a total willingness to pay curve. The curve shows the relation between expenditures incurred, in time and money, to visits at Fort Frederick. The rates of growth for expenditures, income and population were the basis for the simulation of the total willingness to pay up to the year 2000. Integration of the areas under the simulated demand curves was an approximation of the future willingness to pay or benefits derived from recreational experience at the Fort. After dividing the discounted value of benefits by the estimated costs of developing the Fort, a benefit-cost ratio was obtained, which was a quantitative endorsement in favor of the development of Fort Frederick.