How Endowments, Accumulations, and Choice Determine the Geography of Agricultural Productivity in Ecuador
利用厄瓜多尔普查和禀赋数据，通过内生技术选择模型和复合误差估计，分离系统性与异质性因素，揭示农业产出和要素生产力区域差异的成因，为制定促进农业增长和帮扶农村贫困人口的政策提供区分依据。
Spatial disparity in incomes and productivity is apparent across and within countries. Most studies of the determinants of such differences focus on cross-country comparisons or location choice among firms. Less studied are the large differences in agricultural productivity within countries related to concentrations of rural poverty. For policy, understanding the determinants of this geography of agricultural productivity is important, because strategies to reduce poverty often feature components designed to boost regional agricultural incomes. Census and endowment data for Ecuador are used to estimate a model of endogenous technology choice to explain large regional differences in agricultural output and factor productivity. A composite-error estimation technique is used to separate systemic determinants from idiosyncratic differences. Simulations are employed to explore policy avenues. The findings suggest a differentiation between the types of policies that promote growth in agriculture generally and those that are more likely to assist the rural poor.