IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/ajagec/v104y2022i2p475-492.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Breakthroughs at the disciplinary nexus: Rewards and challenges for applied economists

Author

Listed:
  • Madhu Khanna

Abstract

Complex societal challenges call for solutions that require innovative thinking and new ways of problem‐solving that creatively combine knowledge from multiple disciplines. It is imperative that applied economists engage in interdisciplinary research and apply systems thinking and analytical approaches to analyzing trade‐offs and behavioral drivers of human choices to design strategies to achieve societal goals. Agricultural and applied economics have a foundation in interdisciplinary research, real‐world problem solving and engagement with stakeholders, but face increasing pressures for specialization. This address discusses strategies for conducting interdisciplinary research that rely on T‐shaped research skills, team science and aggregating expertise from different disciplines to co‐develop solutions to challenging societal problems. It provides some examples of ground‐breaking research that has emerged in applied economics due to the collaborations with and insights provided by scholars from other disciplines. The paper concludes with a discussion of the institutional and discipline‐related challenges to conducting interdisciplinary research and a call to the profession to foster, recognize and value interdisciplinary research.

Suggested Citation

  • Madhu Khanna, 2022. "Breakthroughs at the disciplinary nexus: Rewards and challenges for applied economists," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 104(2), pages 475-492, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:ajagec:v:104:y:2022:i:2:p:475-492
    DOI: 10.1111/ajae.12295
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/ajae.12295
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/ajae.12295?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Batie, Sandra S., 1989. "Sustainable Development: Challenges to the Profession of Agricultural Economics," 1989 Annual Meeting, July 30-August 2, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 270686, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    2. Khanna, Madhu & Damon, Lisa A., 1999. "EPA's Voluntary 33/50 Program: Impact on Toxic Releases and Economic Performance of Firms," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 1-25, January.
    3. Josh Angrist & Pierre Azoulay & Glenn Ellison & Ryan Hill & Susan Feng Lu, 2020. "Inside Job or Deep Impact? Extramural Citations and the Influence of Economic Scholarship," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 58(1), pages 3-52, March.
    4. Earl O. Heady & John Pesek, 1954. "A Fertilizer Production Surface with Specification of Economic Optima for Corn Grown on Calcareous Ida Silt Loam," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 36(3), pages 466-482.
    5. Khanna, Madhu & Zilberman, David, 1997. "Incentives, precision technology and environmental protection," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 25-43, October.
    6. Stephen Polasky & Gretchen Daily, 2021. "An Introduction to the Economics of Natural Capital," Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 15(1), pages 87-94.
    7. Mohit Anand & Ruiqing Miao & Madhu Khanna, 2019. "Adopting bioenergy crops: Does farmers’ attitude toward loss matter?," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 50(4), pages 435-450, July.
    8. Swanson, Earl R., 1979. "Working with Other Disciplines," 1979 Annual Meeting, July 29-August 1, Pullman, Washington 278218, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    9. Klaus Moeltner & A. Ford Ramsey & Clinton L. Neill, 2021. "Bayesian Kinked Regression with Unobserved Thresholds: An Application to the von Liebig Hypothesis," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 103(5), pages 1832-1856, October.
    10. ., 2021. "Introduction to Organization in the Economic Firm," Chapters, in: Organization in the Economic Firm, chapter 1, pages 1-7, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    11. Heal, G., 1998. "Valuing the Future: Economic Theory and Sustainability," Papers 98-10, Columbia - Graduate School of Business.
    12. Johnson, Glenn L., 1971. "The Quest For Relevance In Agricultural Economics," 1971 Annual Meeting, August 15-18, Carbondale, Illinois 284440, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    13. Keisuke Okamura, 2019. "Interdisciplinarity revisited: evidence for research impact and dynamism," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 5(1), pages 1-9, December.
    14. Earl R. Swanson, 1979. "Working with Other Disciplines," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 61(5), pages 849-859.
    15. Sandra S. Batie, 1989. "Sustainable Development: Challenges to Profession of Agricultural Economics," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 71(5), pages 1083-1101.
    16. Duffy, Patricia A., 2011. "Agricultural Economics and Interdisciplinary Work," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 43(03), pages 283-291, August.
    17. Hongxing Liu & Wendong Zhang & Elena Irwin & Jeffrey Kast & Noel Aloysius & Jay Martin & Margaret Kalcic, 2020. "Best Management Practices and Nutrient Reduction: An Integrated Economic-Hydrologic Model of the Western Lake Erie Basin," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 96(4), pages 510-530.
    18. Mooney, Sian & Young, Douglas & Cobourn, Kelly & Islam, Samia, 2013. "Multidisciplinary Research: Implications for Agricultural and Applied Economists," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Southern Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 45(2), pages 1-16, May.
    19. Swinton, Scott M. & Lupi, Frank & Robertson, G. Philip & Hamilton, Stephen K., 2007. "Ecosystem services and agriculture: Cultivating agricultural ecosystems for diverse benefits," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 245-252, December.
    20. Elena G. Irwin & Patricia J. Culligan & Marina Fischer-Kowalski & Kara Lavender Law & Raghu Murtugudde & Stephanie Pfirman, 2018. "Bridging barriers to advance global sustainability," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 1(7), pages 324-326, July.
    21. H. Scott Gordon, 1954. "The Economic Theory of a Common-Property Resource: The Fishery," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Chennat Gopalakrishnan (ed.), Classic Papers in Natural Resource Economics, chapter 9, pages 178-203, Palgrave Macmillan.
    22. Glenn L. Johnson, 1971. "The Quest for Relevance in Agricultural Economics," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 53(5), pages 728-739.
    23. Walter J. Armbruster, 1997. "Challenges for Agricultural Economists Facing the Twenty-First Century," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 79(5), pages 1373-1382.
    24. Mooney, Siân & Young, Douglas & Cobourn, Kelly & Islam, Samia, 2013. "Multidisciplinary Research: Implications for Agricultural and Applied Economists," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 45(2), pages 187-202, May.
    25. Kenneth R. Farrell, 1976. "Public Policy, the Public Interest, and Agricultural Economics," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 58(5), pages 785-794.
    26. Duffy, Patricia A., 2011. "Agricultural Economics and Interdisciplinary Work," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Southern Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 43(3), pages 1-9, August.
    27. James R. MARKUSEN, 2021. "International Externalities And Optimal Tax Structures," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: BROADENING TRADE THEORY Incorporating Market Realities into Traditional Models, chapter 16, pages 341-355, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    28. Brendan Fisher & Luz A. de Wit & Taylor H. Ricketts, 2021. "Integrating Economics into Research on Natural Capital and Human Health," Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 15(1), pages 95-114.
    29. Zilberman, David, 1994. "Economics and Interdisciplinary Collaborative Efforts," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 26(1), pages 35-42, July.
    30. Baumol,William J. & Oates,Wallace E., 1988. "The Theory of Environmental Policy," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521322249, January.
    31. David Keiser & Catherine L. Kling & Daniel J. Phaneuf, 2020. "Introduction to the Special Issue: Integrated Assessment Models and the Social Cost of Water Pollution Workshop," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 96(4), pages 1-1.
    32. Jill E. Hobbs & Siân Mooney, 2016. "Applications of Behavioral and Experimental Economics to Decision Making in the Agricultural, Food, and Resource Sectors: An Introduction," Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, Canadian Agricultural Economics Society/Societe canadienne d'agroeconomie, vol. 64(4), pages 593-597, December.
    33. Benjamin F. Jones, 2021. "The Rise of Research Teams: Benefits and Costs in Economics," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 35(2), pages 191-216, Spring.
    34. H. Scott Gordon, 1954. "The Economic Theory of a Common-Property Resource: The Fishery," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 62(2), pages 124-124.
    35. Neil E. Harl, 1983. "Agricultural Economics: Challenges to the Profession," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 65(5), pages 845-854.
    36. Madhu Khanna & Deepak Rajagopal & David Zilberman, 2021. "Lessons Learned from US Experience with Biofuels: Comparing the Hype with the Evidence," Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 15(1), pages 67-86.
    37. W James Jacob, 2015. "Interdisciplinary trends in higher education," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 1(palcomms2), pages 15001-15001, January.
    38. Madhu Khanna & Christine L. Crago, 2012. "Measuring Indirect Land Use Change with Biofuels: Implications for Policy," Annual Review of Resource Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 4(1), pages 161-184, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    RePEc Biblio mentions

    As found on the RePEc Biblio, the curated bibliography for Economics:
    1. > Economics Profession > Publishing in Economics > Teams

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Norbert Lance Weston Wilson, 2023. "A call for justice work in agricultural and applied economics," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 105(2), pages 393-408, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ben Yu & Daigee Shaw & Tsu-Tan Fu & Lawrence Lai, 2000. "Property rights and contractual approach to sustainable development," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 3(3), pages 291-309, September.
    2. Desmond Ng & Kerry Litzenberg, 2019. "Overcoming disciplinary divides in higher education: the case of agricultural economics," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 5(1), pages 1-7, December.
    3. Ben T. Yu & Daigee Shaw & Tsu-Tan Fu & Lawrence W. C. Lai, 2000. "Property rights and contractual approach to sustainable development," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 3(3), pages 291-309, September.
    4. Supriyono Supriyono & Izza Mafruhah & Dwi Prasetyani, 2023. "Effect of Ecological, Economic and Social Factors on Environmental Conservation of Dam Reservoirs for Hydroelectric Power," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 13(2), pages 334-340, March.
    5. Kotchen, Matthew J. & Salant, Stephen W., 2011. "A free lunch in the commons," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 61(3), pages 245-253, May.
    6. Reinoud Joosten, 2011. "Social Dilemmas, Time Preferences and Technology Adoption in a Commons Problem," Papers on Economics and Evolution 2011-09, Philipps University Marburg, Department of Geography.
    7. Fox, Glenn, 1990. "The Economics Of The Sustainable Agriculture Movement," 1990 Annual meeting, August 5-8, Vancouver, Canada 270725, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    8. Yann Rébillé & Lionel Richefort, 2015. "Influence and Social Tragedy in Networks," Revue d'économie politique, Dalloz, vol. 125(6), pages 811-833.
    9. Foudi, Sébastien, 2012. "The role of farmers' property rights in soil ecosystem services conservation," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 90-96.
    10. Luca Colombo & Gianluca Femminis & Alessandro Pavan, 2014. "Information Acquisition and Welfare," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 81(4), pages 1438-1483.
    11. Isabel Almudi & Julio Sánchez Chóliz, 2011. "Sustainable use of renewable resources: an identity approach," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 13(2), pages 97-123, July.
    12. Helfand, Gloria E. & Berck, Peter & Maull, Tim, 2003. "The theory of pollution policy," Handbook of Environmental Economics, in: K. G. Mäler & J. R. Vincent (ed.), Handbook of Environmental Economics, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 6, pages 249-303, Elsevier.
    13. Kathleen Segerson & Catherine L. Kling & Nancy E. Bockstael, 2022. "Contributions of women at the intersection of agricultural economics and environmental and natural resource economics," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 44(1), pages 38-53, March.
    14. Finnoff, David & Gong, Min & Tschirhart, John, 2012. "Perspectives on Ecosystem Based Management for Delivering Ecosystem Services with an Example from an Eighteen-Species Marine Model," International Review of Environmental and Resource Economics, now publishers, vol. 6(1), pages 79-118, January.
    15. Marco A. Janssen & Elinor Ostrom, 2008. "TURFS in the lab: Institutional Innovation in Real-Time Dynamic Spatial Commons," Rationality and Society, , vol. 20(4), pages 371-397, November.
    16. Rudd, Robert W., 1978. "Discussion: Agricultural Economics: A Critical Review Of The State Of The Science," Southern Journal of Agricultural Economics, Southern Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 10(1), pages 1-4, July.
    17. Gardner M. Brown, 2000. "Renewable Natural Resource Management and Use without Markets," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 38(4), pages 875-914, December.
    18. Madhu Khanna & Ruiqing Miao, 2022. "Inducing the adoption of emerging technologies for sustainable intensification of food and renewable energy production: insights from applied economics," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 66(1), pages 1-23, January.
    19. Susana Ferreira, 2007. "Trade Policy and Natural Resource Use: The Case for a Quantitative Restriction," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 37(2), pages 361-376, June.
    20. Nordström, Håkan & Vaughan, Scott, 1999. "Trade and the environment," WTO Special Studies, World Trade Organization (WTO), Economic Research and Statistics Division, volume 4, number 4.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wly:ajagec:v:104:y:2022:i:2:p:475-492. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://doi.org/10.1111/(ISSN)1467-8276 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.