An appraisal of the effects of demand-increasing research in distorted market

In this paper economic models are developed for evaluating the size and the distribution of agricultural research benefits in markets distorted by government-induced price policies. In the empirical analysis the results with outcomes for a distorted market are compared with those for a free market. It is reported in the paper that the net benefits to country A from demand-increasing research may be larger or smaller in the presence of a price policy than under free trade, depending on the type of price distortion concerned. An implication of the analysis is that if the net benefits are larger with a free than with a distorted market, economic efficiency accruing to demand-enhancing research may be increased if the government eliminates such distortion.