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We investigate the relationship between the level of food safety risk in retail food establishments and average incomes in surrounding communities. Building on the environmental justice literature, we hypothesize that there is a relationship between community income levels and levels of food safety risk. Using data on the prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) obtained from grocery store delis, we find that stores located in census tracts whose residents are in lower income quartiles have greater Lm prevalence. An indicator for American Indian and Alaskan Native residents also has a positive statistically significant relationship with food safety risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we discuss the reasons why agricultural and applied economics and similar departments are often stand‐alone academic units. The factors that affect and shape the relationship of agricultural and applied economics faculty and departments with those from general economics departments are discussed. We present case studies of three universities having different relationships with general economics faculty at their respective universities: a merged unit, an unmerged unit, and a never‐merged unit. We conclude with rationale for the existence and future trajectory of agricultural economics and related academic units at Land Grant Universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the marginal suspect and propensity to commit crime are unobserved across racial categories, it is difficult to quantify racial bias with law enforcement outcomes data. We test for racial bias in driving-under-the-influence of alcohol enforcement. The assessment outcome variable, blood alcohol content (BAC), provides information about motorist's choices and allows for a more refined test for racial bias compared with other law enforcement outcome data. We find no evidence of racial bias in the relevant range where our model applies. However, we do find differences in find rates at the lowest levels of BAC, where there should be no impairment. (JEL J7, K42), I. INTRODUCTION The Civil Rights Act of 1964 created a legal cause of action in Federal Courts in claims of discrimination on the basis of age, race, or gender under [...]

This article analyzes factors that predict the academic rank of Economics and Agricultural Economics faculty. While female faculties are under‐represented in both types of academic departments, we find that significant factors in predicting the academic rank of female faculty are primarily professional contributions represented by publications and experience. Agricultural Economics departments require more publications than Economics in order to achieve the same positive effect on the latent indicator of higher academic rank. The positive contribution of publications to higher academic rank status is larger for females than for males for both types of economists. The result is suggestive of potential benefits relating to policies that support women in their ability to publish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7976.2007.00089.x Byline: Jill J. McCluskey (1), Ron C. Mittelhammer (2), Anna B. Marin (3), Khaliela S. Wright (4) Abstract: This paper uses individual apple-level data that include consumer sensory assessments and instrumental measurements of internal quality to analyze willingness to pay for Washington State Gala apples. Three distinct models are estimated: a model that includes destructive internal quality measures of apple characteristics, a model that utilizes only non-destructive internal quality measures, and a consumer model that includes subjective consumer sensory evaluations and consumer socio-demographic characteristics. The objective is to identify instrumental measures of internal quality that can be used to inform the apple industry of consumer preferences. The consumer model serves as a benchmark. Finally, we evaluate whether non-destructive measures of internal quality can substitute for destructive measures. We find that firmness and soluble solids content are significant and can be measured effectively using non-destructive measures. Implications of the findings for the apple industry in terms of marketing and possible 'elite' standards for apples are discussed. Le present article utilise des donnees individuelles, notamment des evaluations sensorielles et des mesures instrumentales, pour analyser la volonte de payer des consommateurs pour des pommes Gala de l'Etat de Washington. Nous avons estime trois modeles : un modele comprenant des mesures instrumentales qui affectent la qualite interne des pommes; un modele qui utilise des mesures instrumentales qui n'affectent pas la qualite interne; un modele du consommateur qui comprend des evaluations sensorielles subjectives et des caracteristiques sociodemographiques. L'objectif consistait a identifier les mesures instrumentales qui pourraient etre utilisees pour renseigner l'industrie pomicole sur les preferences des consommateurs. Le modele du consommateur a servi de point de reference. Finalement, nous avons examine si les techniques non destructives de mesure de la qualite interne pouvaient ou non remplacer les techniques destructives. Nous avons trouve que la fermete et la teneur en solides solubles sont des caracteristiques importantes et qu'elles peuvent etre mesurees efficacement au moyen de techniques non destructives. Nous discutons des repercussions de ces resultats sur l'industrie pomicole sur le plan du marketing et de l'etablissement possible de normes ≪elite≫. Author Affiliation: (1)Associate Professor, School of Economic Sciences, and Food Policy Fellow, IMPACT Center, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington (corresponding author: phone: 509-335-2835; fax: 509-335-1173; e-mail:mccluskey@wsu.edu). (2)Regents Professor, School of Economic Sciences and Department of Statistics, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington. (3)Sensory & Consumer Program Director, Food Innovation Center, 1207 NW Naito Pkwy., Portland, Oregon. (4)Former Graduate Student, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington.

When there is uncertainty concerning the appropriate statistical model and corresponding estimators and inference methods, we use the Cressie--Read measure of divergence to define a semiparametric estimator, [??]([??]), that combines plausible estimation problems. This estimation procedure identifies, conditional on the data, an optimal combination of competing estimators for the unknown parameters associated with the alternative plausible structural model specifications. The optimization is handled internally and avoids the tuning parameters usually necessary in problems of this type. To illustrate finite sample performance, an extensive sampling experiment is conducted to demonstrate the adaptive nature of the estimator for an array of data sampling specifications. JEL Classification: C10; C24 Keywords: Semiparametric estimation and inference; Empirical likelihood; Convex combination of estimators; Asymptotic and finite sample risk

Asymptotically, semi parametric estimators of the parameters in linear structural models have the same sampling properties. In finite samples the sampling properties of these estimators vary and large biases may result for sample sizes often found in practice. With a goal of improving asymptotic risk performance and finite sample efficiency properties, we investigate the idea of combining correlated structural equation estimators with different finite and asymptotic sampling characteristics. Based on a quadratic loss measure, we present evidence that the finite sample performance of the resulting combination estimator can be notably superior to that of a leading traditional moment based estimator. Keywords: Combined estimators: Quadratic loss; Semiparametric estimation; Data dependent shrinkage; Instrumental variables