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 Analysis and PolicySomebody's out there writing the rules that effect our daily lives, the environment we live in, and the very future of this planet. Maybe that somebody ought to be you. |
Federal and State agency officials
| Working in government brings great responsibility along with a great capacity to impact the regulations that eventually effect us all. Agency officials write the rules that everyone else must play by. They define what’s ‘safe’ – from mercury levels released by power plants to emissions released from individual cars. Most of their work is based on the analysis of field scientsits (see above.) |
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Regional planners and urban designers
| Both of these professionals look at land use on a larger scale. They identify ‘zones’ and propose specific types of use (such as housing, commercial, industrial, public access) for each zone. Regional planners work with areas that have lower population densities, while urban planners focus mostly on land use within cities. |
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Federal, state, and local officials
| Although regional planners and urban designers make proposals about land use, the final determination of how land will be used usually resides with government agents. They write and enforce zoning ordinances - the rules about how land will be used. These decisions are often made in conjunction with elected officials based on economic and environmental analyses of development consequences. |
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Economists
| When there is a question about how to use a piece of land, or when a specific proposal comes forward, economists do financial analyses to determine the impact of one course of action versus another. Most situations create complex trade-offs. A new housing development results in increased tax income for a town, but also increased costs to provide utilities and decreased open space or farmland. Economists compare the financial impact of each option. |
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Economists
| Economists look at all of the above issues, as well as the impacts of food transportation, farm size, farm product channels (selling direct to customers at a market versus selling to a supermarket or processor), pressure of real estate values, agro-tourism and many other issues. Economists monitor trends (such as the move to larger farm sizes) and the impacts of those trends.They recommend possible mechanisms for supporting or minimizing a given direction. |
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Federal and State agency officials
| Working in government brings great responsibility along with a great capacity to impact the regulations that effect us all. Agency officials write the rules that hunters and fisherman must work by. They define which animals need protections and how strict the protections will be. Most of their work is based on the analysis of natural resource managers and other field scientists (see above.) |
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Economists
| Economists look at the above issues, as well as the ways farm consolidation impacts family farms, raw food prices, consumer food prices, and food distribution and transportation. Economists monitor trends and the impacts of those trends.They recommend possible mechanisms for supporting or minimizing a given direction. |
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Federal and state agency officials
| Working in government brings great responsibility along with a great capacity to impact the regulations that eventually effect us all. Agency officials write the rules that everyone else must play by. They strive to base their decisions on the analyses of scientists and economists. However, lobbyists often have an impact on the ways policies are written. |
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Regional planners
| Regional planners identify ‘zones’ and propose specific types of use (such as housing, commercial, industrial, public access) for each zone. Most new development happens on land that’s already clear of trees - primarily farmer’s fields. However, occassionally a new development, such as a new ski slope, will be proposed for a forested area. Some regional planners work for state and local governments. Others work as independent consultants and are hired by businesses to do feasibility studies on their development plans. |
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Economists
| When there is a question about how to use a piece of land, or when a specific proposal comes forward, economists do financial analyses to determine the impact of one course of action versus another. Most situations create complex trade-offs. A new housing development results in increased tax income for a town, but also increased costs to provide utilities and decreased natural resources. Economists compare the financial impact of each option. |
Training Routes |
Federal, state, and local officials
| Although all of the above people make proposals about land use, the final determination of how land will be used usually resides with government agents. They write and enforce zoning ordinances - the rules about how land will be used. These decisions are often made in conjunction with elected officials based on economic and environmental analyses of development consequences. |
Training Routes |
Economists
| Economists monitor many factors to identify shifts and trends in the food supply industries. They analyze information about farms, such as the number of farms, average farm size, etc. They also analyze information about food processing companies, food wholesalers and distributors, food retailers such as supermarkets, restaurants, and fast-food chains, as well as trends among consumers. Once a trend is identified, economists strive to identify the factors that are creating the shift, the impacts of the shift, and possible mechanisms for supporting or minimizing a given direction. |
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