Ajijiieiiaie Analysis of Research and Productivity in Agriculture 83 



The data available to us on an international basis are simply too 

 crude to investigate the issue of labor productivity fully. Our 

 measures do not distinguish between available and actual labor 

 inputs. Studies based on careful labor measurement (Sahota 1968, 

 Hopper 1965) have generally shown positive short-run marginal 

 labor productivity.^ The aggregate studies measure the potentially 

 available labor force, and it is not surprising that low short-run 

 marginal products are estimated. 



The land measure utilized in this study is subject to similar 

 measurement problems. The short-run labor adjustment prob- 

 lems are reflected in higher marginal products of land, as these 

 estimates indicate. A more serious problem regarding land quality 

 measurement exists with international data, however. Our 

 measure is quite crude and does not fully reflect quality 

 differences. The reader should bear this in mind when considering 

 the implications for productivity. 



Return to Research 



The research variable has a positive and significant coefficient in 

 all the estimates reported in table 5.1. This variable, measured by 

 publications, performs better in the regression than the proxies, 

 fertilizers, technical education and schooling that have been sug- 

 gested by Hayami and Ruttan (1971) (see also appendix 6). 



The marginal productivity of investment in research is calcu- 

 lated as follows: 



(a) The ratio of research expenditures to agricultural produc- 

 tion is taken as 80^ per $100 (chapter 2, table 2.2). 



(b) The elasticity of publication with respect to manpower or 

 expenditures is taken as .4 (chapter 2, table 2.7). 



(c) Elasticity of production with respect to scientific publica- 

 tion is taken as .04 (regression 4, table 5.1). 



An additional 8^ spent on research for every $100 value of 

 agricultural production will amount to an additional 10 percent of 

 research expenditures. This will increase research output 



3. Leibenstein (1957) considers the effect of low wages on labor productivity. 



