Johnson, D. Gale (1917–2003)

Abstract

D. Gale Johnson, an intellectual leader in agricultural economics in the mid- to late 20th century, was an early critic of the parity price concept. His case against agricultural subsidies helped bring agricultural trade policy into the international policy arena. Johnson was a long-time observer of the Soviet Union and Chinese agricultural reforms. His analysis showed that investment in agricultural research, including biotechnology, primarily benefited the poor through lower real food prices. He argued that market and policy failures, not population growth, were the root causes of environmental problems in developing countries.

This chapter was originally published in The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics, 2nd edition, 2008. Edited by Steven N. Durlauf and Lawrence E. Blume