Land-releasing policy and welfare in a dual economy

This article examines a variety of impacts of the policy of releasing public land for agricultural in the Harris-Todaro economy for the short run as well as the long run. We contrast the effects for the economy under import quotas versus tariffs. Our analysis suggests that the land-grant policy in the presence of a tariff is effective in promoting welfare for both the short run and the long run. However, the policy in the presence of an import quota may not be effective in the long run. © 1993 Kluwer Academic Publishers.