The objectives of this study were twofold. The first objective was to measure for the 1960 -84 period the level of price intervention on agricultural products and the effects it had on output, consumption, foreign exchange, the government budget, income transfers between agriculture and the rest of the economy, and income distribution. The second and ultimate objective was to analyze the political economy of price intervention ( to understand the interaction between political and economic forces ). Central to the objectives was the knowledge of what political constraints influenced decisions on agricultural pricing policy, as well as to what extent economic constraints on the government and market forces led to pressures on policymakers to alter farm price policies. An underlying thesis of this study is that agricultural incentives are strongly affected by developments in other sectors of the economy, especially by trade and macroeconomic policies. The report is divided into 3 parts : Part I presents an overview of the economy and the agricultural sector, then gives a descriptive history of agricultural price policies; Part II presents the effects of these policies; and Part III presents the political economy interpretation of these policies. The appendices detail the estimation procedures as well as the basic data used.

The objectives of this study were twofold. The first objective was to measure for the 1960 -84 period the level of price intervention on agricultural products and the effects it had on output, consumption, foreign exchange, the government budget, income transfers between agriculture and the rest of the economy, and income distribution. The second and ultimate objective was to analyze the political economy of price intervention ( to understand the interaction between political and economic forces ). Central to the objectives was the knowledge of what political constraints influenced decisions on agricultural pricing policy, as well as to what extent economic constraints on the government and market forces led to pressures on policymakers to alter farm price policies. An underlying thesis of this study is that agricultural incentives are strongly affected by developments in other sectors of the economy, especially by trade and macroeconomic policies. The report is divided into 3 parts : Part I presents an overview of the economy and the agricultural sector, then gives a descriptive history of agricultural price policies; Part II presents the effects of these policies; and Part III presents the political economy interpretation of these policies. The appendices detail the estimation procedures as well as the basic data used.

Covers the period from the early 1960s until 1987.

To lift and keep millions out of poverty requires that smallholder agriculture be productive and profitable in the developing world. Do we know how to make this happen? Researchers and practitioners still debate how best to do so. The prevailing methodology, which claims causality from measures of statistical significance, is inductive and yields contradictory results. In this book, instead of correlations, Isabelle Tsakok looks for patterns common to cases of successful agricultural transformation and then tests them against other cases. She proposes a hypothesis that five sets of conditions are necessary to achieve success. She concludes that government investment in and delivery of public goods and services sustained over decades is essential to maintaining these conditions and thus successfully transform poverty-ridden agricultures. No amount of foreign aid can substitute for such sustained government commitment. The single most important threat to such government commitment is subservience to the rich and powerful minority.

Research report, trade policy, exchange rate, agricultural policy, agricultural production, agriculture, Zaire since 1960 - economic policy, economic analysis, economic development, food import volume, food security, inflation, balance of payments, cash crop export volume, statistical analysis. Bibliography, graphs, statistical tables.