The Sixth International Multiple-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) Conference is one of a biennial series that serve as a forum for exchange of the latest information and new developments in this rapidly growing field. Participants are carefully chosen from among scholars and practitioners so that widely ranging perspectives and disciplines are represented; this insures the dissemination of valuable new know ledge to those scholars, policy-makers and industrial analysts who will best utilize and share it, both in developed and in third-world countries. The Sixth Internaitona1 MCDM Conference was held from June 4 to 8, 1984, at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. The Conference program reflects the evolution of the field from infancy through adolescence to maturity, as marked by the progression from single-objective modeling and optimization to multiple-objective deci sion making. Because the theoreticians, practitioners and students who attend these MCDM conferences necessarily have different needs and expectations, the program now offers fewer monologues and more panels, overview papers and tutorial sessions, focusing on case studies and other practical experiences.

Extract: About 10 percent more milk is produced than is needed to balance supply and demand. Annual dairy program costs total over $2.2 billion and CCC stocks are in excess of 15 percent of annual commercial disappearance. These factors have led to pressure to change the dairy price support program, but there appears to be little agreement as to specific changes. This paper analyzes the effects of 17 potential dairy program options on farmers, consumers, and taxpayers. The results provide a basis upon which policymakers, consumers, and farmers can systematically evaluate various dairy program proposals.

This comprehensive explanation of the U.S. government's role in economics will be an eye-opener for anyone who wants to understand exactly what the government does—and doesn't do—in this most critical area. Most people, including many economists, are not aware of the great variety of crucial tasks and invaluable analyses undertaken by government economists. This three-volume set will fill that gap with an all-encompassing overview of the major economics-related work the government performs across all of its agencies and offices. With 45 chapters written by 61 leading experts, the work covers every major topic in government economics, including such diverse areas as monetary policy, defense spending, social assistance, international trade, antitrust, and environmental protection. In addition to entries by those who teach economics, the compendium also features candid observations from government insiders to help readers grasp how things really work. But readers will not only gain insight into specific fields and topics, they will also be able to better understand the big picture and how its pieces fit together. This unique and far-reaching set often challenges conventional wisdom even as it presents a novel synthesis of the government's research, analysis—and actions.