Instructor: Prof. Nico Heerink, Wageningen University
Prof. Nico Heerink is a professor emeritus in the Economics Section at Wageningen University, the Netherlands. He achieved his PhD in Economics at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy, 1991. He has long been engaged in research in resource and environmental economics. He was the regional office coordinator at the Beijing Office of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) from 2004 to 2006. The main focus of his research is the impact of (economic, agricultural, environmental and other) policies on rural household choices that affect the use of natural resources, the quality of the natural environment and household welfare. Most of his research is based on primary data collected among rural households in different parts of China. Prof. Nico Heerink has published more than 80 papers in well-recognized international journals and enjoys a high international reputation in the field of environmental and development economics.
Class time and place:
13 - 17 July, 2025 (The specific time will be notified later in the WeChat group)
Yifu Building room 8020
Course Credit: Two credits
Course selection:
Students who want to take the course should send a text message “Student ID + Name + Professional + College + Contact Information” to 2024109064@stu.njau.edu.cn (Zihang Jiang) and join the WeChat group.
Outline of the lectures
Lecture 1: Introduction. Farm production
Introduction
− Why rural household economics?
− Some examples (from own practice)
− Overview of the lectures
Farm production
− Definitions & concepts
- Peasants, households
- (Incomplete and imperfect) markets
− Farm production theory
- Production function: Basic assumptions, law of diminishing marginal returns
- Profit maximation & optimum input use
Literature:
De Janvry and Sadoulet, 2021 Ch. 10: pp. 257-260
Ellis 1993, Ch. 2: pp.17–28
Lecture 2: Farm production
− Farm production theory
- Profit maximization & optimum input use (continued)
- Supply & price band model: Transaction costs, price band model & supply response
Literature:
De Janvry and Sadoulet 2021, Ch. 10: pp. 260-262.
De Janvry et al. (1991)
Lecture 3: Consumption and work. Farm household models
Indifference curves
− Two consumption goods
− Money income vs leisure
Farm household models
− Introduction
− Chayanov model
Literature:
Ellis 1993, Ch. 6
De Janvry and Sadoulet 2021, Ch. 10: pp. 262-267.
Lecture 4: Human resources
Gender and time allocation
− Concepts & definitions
− Some stylized facts
− Theories on gender division of labour
− Gender relations and time allocation
Farm household models
− Labour markets & (non-)separability
Economic theories of migration & rural impact
− Harris-Todaro (H-T) model
− New economics of labour migration (NELM)
Literature:
Ellis 1993, Ch. 9
Ellis 1993, Ch. 7: pp.123-131
De Janvry and Sadoulet, 2021: Ch. 12
Lecture 5: Natural resources
Introduction: Natural resources, management level
Land – Conservation decisions & property rights
− Farm household conservation decisions
− Land property rights
- Population pressure
- Evolutionary theory of land rights (ETLR)
Water – Common Pool Resource Management
− Concepts: Rivalry, exclusiveness, externalities
− Property rights & resource management
- Main categories of property rights
- Common pool resources & open access
- Common property regimes (collective action)
Literature:
Ellis 1993, Ch. 12
Platteau, 1996: pp. 29-38
References
Ellis, F. (1993). Peasant Economics: Farm Households and Agrarian Development. Second edition. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
De Janvry, A. and E. Sadoulet (2021). Development Economics – Theory and Practice. Second edition. London & New York: Routledge
De Janvry, A., M. Fafchamps and E. Sadoulet (1991) ‘Peasant Household Behaviour with Missing Markets: Some Paradoxes Explained.’ Economic Journal 101: 1400-1417.
Platteau, J.-P. (1996). ‘The Evolutionary Theory of Land Rights as Applied to Sub-Saharan Africa: A Critical Assessment’. Development and Change 27: 29-38 (Introduction & Section 1 only).
