Harry M. Kaiser, the Gellert Family Professor of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell, has co-authored the new book "Mathematical Programming for Agricultural, Environmental, and Resource Economics" (Wiley).

"Unlike most mathematical programming books, our principal focus is on applications of these techniques and models to the fields of agricultural, environmental and resource economics," says Kaiser.

The 512-page textbook is designed to help students "develop the quantitative skills necessary for cutting edge research and techniques," says Kaiser.

He says that the three fundamental goals of the book are to provide adequate background so students can learn to apply mathematical programming techniques to real-world policy and business research and analysis; a variety of applications of mathematical programming that are relevant to problems in agricultural, environmental and resource economics; and a foundation to prepare readers more advanced, Ph.D.-level books on linear and/or nonlinear programming.

The book includes a host of examples and case studies to show how the various programming techniques are applied by decision analysts.

Kaiser, who also serves as director of the Cornell Commodity Promotion Research Program, teaches and conducts research in the areas of price analysis, marketing, industrial organization, policy and quantitative methods.