ECONOMIES OF SCALE AND SCOPE AND THE ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY OF CHINA'S AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SYSTEM*
利用1981-2000年中国46个小麦和玉米育种机构的数据，估计了新品种生产的成本函数，发现显著的规模经济和较小的范围经济，且育种者教育水平和外部遗传材料获取能提高成本效率。
This article investigates economies of scale and scope and other potential sources of improvements in the economic efficiency of China's crop breeding, an industry at the heart of the nation's food economy. Using data covering 46 wheat‐ and maize‐breeding institutes from 1981 to 2000, we estimate cost functions for the production of new varieties at China's wheat‐ and maize‐breeding institutes. Our results indicate strong economies of scale, along with small to moderate economies of scope related to the joint production of new wheat and maize varieties. Cost efficiency increases significantly with increases in the breeders' educational status and with increases in access to genetic materials from outside the institute.