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The Making of Informational Efficiency: Information Policy and Theory in Interwar Agricultural Economics

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Listed:
  • Thomas Delcey

    (UB - Université de Bourgogne, LEDi - Laboratoire d'Economie de Dijon [Dijon] - UB - Université de Bourgogne - UBFC - Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté [COMUE])

  • Guillaume Noblet

    (Auteur indépendant)

Abstract

This article offers a historical analysis of American interwar agricultural economists and their interest in information. Believing that the main problem facing farmers was a lack of information, agricultural economists designed an information policy aiming to produce, format, and disseminate information. Using administrative archives, the article analyzes the motivations of these economists and the implementation of this policy. As the article shows, the policy was a prerequisite for theoretical discussions about information, and it established institutional tools that are still used today, such as the USDA market news service.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas Delcey & Guillaume Noblet, 2024. "The Making of Informational Efficiency: Information Policy and Theory in Interwar Agricultural Economics," Post-Print hal-03227973, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-03227973
    DOI: 10.1215/00182702-11242749
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-03227973v3
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Keywords

    History of economics; Agricultural economics; Economics of information;
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