The Industrial Organisation of the Australian Agricultural Economics Society
There has recently been much soul searching among US agricultural economists concerning future directions of the American Agricultural Economics Association. In Australia, however, little direct attention has been paid to the Australian Agricultural Economics Society. Utilising an industrial organisation framework, this paper seeks to investigate issues pertaining to the structure, conduct and performance of the Society. To that end, a survey of members was recently undertaken. This information, along with the views of Past Presidents of the Society, minutes of previous Annual General Meetings and student feedback on the future direction of the profession, is used as the main database for the analysis. The results suggest that, while demand for the product mix is generally strong, supply constraints are impinging on the performance of the Society. Alternative approaches to overcoming these constraints are explored.
Elegy, ode, or panegyric? Practising agricultural economics in Australia, 1975-99
Changes are investigated in the Australian agricultural economics profession, 1975–99, using a conventional microeconomics framework of supply and demand for agricultural economists. Aggregate exogenous factors such as changes in the agricultural and tertiary education sectors, and changes in beliefs about the proper role of government, have changed both supply and demand conditions for agricultural economists. The profession has responded by shifting its focus away from narrowly agricultural policy, especially marketing policy, towards areas of market failure such as environmental and natural resource issues.
The role of dissolved oxygen in supercritical water in the oxidation of ferritic–martensitic steel
Abstract To assess the role of dissolved oxygen in supercritical water on the growth processes of oxide scales, a marker experiment of ferritic–martensitic steel was performed by exposing to supercritical water (H 2 16 O) containing marked 18 O 2 at 600 °C under 25 MPa. The oxide scale was analysed by using Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS). The oxygen isotope profile shows that dissolved oxygen and supercritical water react with metals simultaneously. Dissolved oxygen changes the oxidation/reduction potential of supercritical water leading to an increase in the oxidation rate. The oxidation rate increases with increase in dissolved oxygen content in supercritical water. The mechanism of the effect of dissolved oxygen on oxidation is discussed.