Originally published in 1962, this book was a study of British agricultural policy since the Second World War during a period which saw the adoption of a comprehensive system of agricultural support which stood in marked contrast to the free trade policy adhered to previously. The policy of support brought a substantial increase in the output of British agriculture, but it imposed a heavy burden on the taxpayer and was the subject of much controversy. The author considers the economic issues involved with this policy and compares the role of agriculture in Britain with the part it played at the time in other countries. The book analyses the main sources of Britains food supply in the second half of the 20th century and examines the effect of the European Common Market. The British system of support is contrasted with that used in other European countries.
Originally published in 1962, this book was a study of British agricultural policy since the Second World War during a period which saw the adoption of a comprehensive system of agricultural support which stood in marked contrast to the free trade policy adhered to previously.
Part 1: The Present Position of British Agriculture
1. Agriculture in
the British Economy
2. The Cost of Agricultural Support
3. Agricultural
Expansion Since 1939 Part 2: Agriculture and the Balance of Payments
4. An
Analysis of the Balance of Payments Problem
5. The Contribution of
Agriculture to the Balance of Payments
6. The Effect of Increased
Self-Sufficiency on the Terms of Trade Part 3: The Prospects for Imported
Food Supplies
7. The Factors Governing International Specialization
8.
Long-Run Movements in the Terms of Trade
9. The Growth of the Worlds
Population
10. The Outlook for European Food Supplies
11. British Agriculture
and the Common Market
12. The Threat to Britains Food Supply. Appendix:
Tables A-C: Population Density of Selected Countries Tables D-F: Food Output
in European Countries.
Gavin McCrone has had a long career in economics and public policy, becoming one of the most influential figures in the Scottish economy. He studied agricultural economics at Aberystwyth University in the 1950s when post-war conditions required many changes in policy, before lecturing in economics at Glasgow and Oxford universities. In 1970, he moved to the Scottish Office in Edinburgh as chief economic advisor to the Secretary of State, later heading up the Industry Department for Scotland and the Scottish Development Department. After retiring from the civil service, he returned to academic economics as a professor, first at Glasgow University and then at Edinburgh University Business School. Among subsequent roles, he was vice-chairman of the Royal Society of Edinburgh's 2003 inquiry into the crisis in the Scottish fishing industry, and in 2010 chaired its inquiry into the future of Scotland's hill areas. In the 2010s, he was author of two books examining the economic challenges that might face an independent Scotland.
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