American Economic Review
ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)
Nature versus Nurture: The Environment's Persistent Influence through the Modernization of American Agriculture
American Economic Review
(pp. 245–49)
Abstract
Technological innovation in agriculture was substantial during the 20th century. Is "modern" technological control of the environment replacing a "primitive" dependency on natural advantages and disadvantages, or has agricultural production remained persistently dependent on the environment? This paper estimates how the 20th century modernization of United States Plains' agriculture changed the impact of environmental characteristics on agricultural land values. Despite substantial technological innovation and rising land values from 1945 to 2002, counties' environmental characteristics largely maintained influence on land values. Environmental change has become no less costly, as technological innovation has not reduced the importance of natural advantages or disadvantages.Citation
Hornbeck, Richard. 2012. "Nature versus Nurture: The Environment's Persistent Influence through the Modernization of American Agriculture." American Economic Review 102 (3): 245–49. DOI: 10.1257/aer.102.3.245JEL Classification
- O33 Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
- Q15 Land Ownership and Tenure; Land Reform; Land Use; Irrigation; Agriculture and Environment
- Q16 Agricultural R&D; Agricultural Technology; Biofuels; Agricultural Extension Services