About two years ago a small group of agricultural economists from throughout the United States met to discuss the possibility of developing an educational program on possible alternative institutional arrangements associated with the marketing of agricultural commodities. The group identified eleven options for further investigation. And then gathered together a total of 26 colleagues to make the study.

Federal regulation of various commodities is under attack bycritics who take the position that regulation no longer achieves public interest goals. The critics have been more successful in the realm of changing degrees of control by reducing or refocusing regulation than they have been in eliminating regulation. In this paper we take the position that reduction of regulation in the dairy industry would be socially beneficial and consistent with the original goals of the regulation. The policy variable we consider is the amount by which the regulated price for milk for fluid uses is elevated above that for manufacturing (cheese, etc.) uses.

Industrial deconcentration or restructuring refers to the break up or diffusion of large firms in markets with high concentration. The idea of carving up large companies into two or more separate entities is not new. A number of prominent economists, including Stigler, Kaysen and Turner, and Mueller, have argued persuasively for just such an action. Since passage of the Sherman Act, the courts, while generally reluctant to perform surgery on large firms, have ordered corporate split-ups in at least 26 cases. Some of the early orders were quite drastic, including the division of Standard Oil of New Jersey into 33 parts, the break up of American Tobacco into 16 pieces, the splitting of DuPont into three separate powder manufacturing firms. With the exception of the Pullman and Paramount cases in the 1940's, both of which are of interest because they involved vertical as well as horizontal dimensions of market power, more recent divestitures have been mild.

In 1976 the Massachusetts Commission on Organic Recycling was formed to assess the feasibility of recycling several organic materials. One of the Task Forces operating under the auspices of the Commission was called the Task Force on “The Feasibility of Application of Municipal Sewage Sludge on Agricultural Land in Massachusetts”. The Task Force, composed of scientists and technical specialists from several public agencies prepared and submitted a report to the Commission.

The Report of the President's Task Force on Rural Development, issued in 1970, makes recommendations as to what might be done in the public and private sectors to stimulate the economic and social development of the rural communities of America. Although these recommendations include such things as financial investment, expanding educational facilities and programs to increase the nutritional level in rural communities, the report maintains that the creation of employment opportunities in rural communities is a most essential part of their economic and social development. Since manufacturing activities are one possible source of jobs in rural areas, it is relevant to determine what factors influence the growth (location of new establishments or expansion of existing ones) of manufacturing industries in rural areas.

Growth in residential land use is a relatively visible and permanent change taking place in communities across Massachusetts and in many parts of New England. These changes have generated considerable public concern and have been the subject of professional study by several disciplines.

During the past decade, the cost of constructing new homes has risen dramatically. While the overall consumer price index rose by 74 percent between 1967 and the end of 1976, the cost of constructing new housing rose by about 103 percent nationally. This trend in costs has priced a growing proportion of lower and middle income groups out of the market for new houses. The national average price for new housing is currently $52,000 per unit. This has led to expressions of public concern that efforts need to be undertaken to find ways by which these low and middle income groups can obtain access to new housing.

This study analyzes the performance of Northeastern nonmetropolitan counties regarding income, employment, population growth, and net migration, 1970–1974. By comparing these data with comparable data for other Census regions, an economic and demographic picture of the Northeast in a national setting is presented. This comparison shows that Northeast nonmetropolitan counties had smaller income gains than any other nonmetropolitan area, yet, many of the counties experienced high rates of population growth and net migration. This observation runs opposite to contemporary theories that indicate a positive relationship between income and population growth. The final sections of this paper develop criteria for analyzing these observations and offer an explanation for their existence.

The dwelling unit is often described as the focal point or hub in the delivery of a whole array of services to a household. It delivers “physical space … sanitary and cooking facilities …” and its geographic location provides access to a particular neighborhood and affects proximity and access to jobs, retail stores, public services, association with other people, and cultural and religious facilities. Thus, housing has a very important role in human resource development, and, subsequently, in economic growth and development. In general, housing plays an important role in the quality of life and living.