CHEN Xiao    School of Economics

Abstract:In the field of American agriculture in the 20th century, the pressure from human activities on agricultural resources and environment has been increasing year by year, especially the uncontrolled use of pesticides and fertilizers, which makes the environmental problems in land resources, water resources and other aspects in agriculture more and more serious, resulting in the harm of environmental pollution to human health and the threat of resource exhaustion. Especially in the 1930s, the sandstorm in the Southern Great Plain made the American government and the public begin to focus on the field of agricultural resources and environmental protection, which is the origin of the American agricultural resources and environmental protection policy. Through the review and delve into the evolution history of American agricultural resources and environmental protection policy, this study finds that the protection of American agricultural resources and environment plays a model role on a global scale, but the development and evolution of its policy system has gone through a complex process of change. From the 1930s to the 1990s, the span of more than 60 years has witnessed the evolution from the beginning to the stagnation and to the rapid development, which involves many interest groups with specific interest articulation and value preferences in the American society. It is precisely the conflicts, competitions and cooperations among these interest groups pursuing the maximization of their own interests and benefits that make the process of American agricultural resources and environmental protection policy a reflection of a colorful dynamic evolution. Through the sorting and analysis of the existing research materials, the previous studies on American agricultural resources and environmental protection policy mainly focus on the text description and interpretation of relevant policies in the field of history, law or environmental science, with emphasis on the induction and summary of the operation of the track of the policy, with less construction, comparison and analysis based on the perspective of economics. This paper attempts to use the theory of interest groups in economics to bring the dynamic process and influencing factors of policy evolution into the static framework of policy results, and to make a thorough and specific study and exploration of the impact approaches of interest groups shaping policy evolution around the changes of their power in the process of policy evolution, so as to carry out a detailed description of the internal logic and development path of policy evolution, identifying the inherent law of the evolution of American agricultural resources and environmental protection policy. The purpose of agricultural resources and environmental protection policy in the United States is to compensate and encourage farmers to protect and improve the agricultural resources and environment by providing them with payment for environmental protection. Initiating from the connection of the compensation mechanism with the reduction of the sown area of specified agricultural products, transitioning into the connection of the compensation mechanism with the area of fallow, and finally developing into the connection of compensation mechanism with the actual environmental performance, the protection of agricultural resources and environment in the United States has been gradually improved. In this paper, historical analysis and logical argumentation, inductive analysis and deductive analysis are used, and the following conclusions are drawn: 1. The core action groups that affect the evolution of American agricultural resources and environmental protection policies are mainly the farmers interest group, the agrochemical industry interest group, and the consumers and environmental protection organization interest group. Farming, pollution and health have always been embedded in the formulation and evolution of agricultural resources and environmental protection policies in the United States. The pursuit for government subsidies and income support of the farmers interest group constitutes the main motivation for them to strive to build and consolidate the dominant monopoly position in the policy evolution. The pursuit for the huge profits from the increase in sales of agrochemical products of the agrochemical industry interest group becomes the primary factor for them to seize the strong dominant position in the policy evolution. The pursuit for health benefits and environmental benefits of the consumers and environmental protection organizations interest group forms an important driving force for the group to strive for the dominant position in the policy evolution. 2. The evolution of American agricultural resources and environmental protection policy is the result of mutual influence and competition between interest groups inside and outside the government. On the one hand, the dynamic force of the policy evolution is presented with the cooperation and competition among the interest groups. On the other hand, through the core tools of influencing election, organizing demonstrations, building alliances and professional lobbying, an effective path to "access" or "enter" government institutions is constituted, which is further enhanced with the utilization of the policy propaganda advantages of the media , and the overlapping of interests with the national political parties. By this means, the expression and demands of the group's relevant interests can be effectively achieved with the realization of powerful influence on the decision-making process. In the initial stage of the policy evolution, the farmers interest group has built a close relationship with policy makers through demonstrations, lobbying and other ways. Through the spread of "saving the soil and overcoming despair" from the media, they have won the public support for the bill, and through the resolution of the conflicts caused by party disputes, they have achieved the dominant role in influencing the process of policy making. In the sluggish development stage of the policy evolution, the agochemical industry interest group has implemented the path of establishing close relationship with decision-makers after they accidentally obtained the extra benefits from the policy making of the previous stage. Through the means of establishing alliance with the farmers interest groups and influencing the election campaign, with the utilization of the spread of "controlling pests and conquering nature", the agrochemical interest group has made an active impact on extending the content of the previous policies based on the connection of the compensation mechanism with the reduction of the sown area. The farmers interest group still plays a dominant role in the process of policy making in this period. In the rapid development stage of the policy evolution, the consumers and environmental protection organizations interest group has made a strong impact on decision makers by establishing alliances, influencing elections and professional lobbying techniques. Through the spread of the concept of "environmental protection and sustainable agriculture" from the media, the conflict between interest groups has been effectively coordinated, and through the timely and accurate grasp of the common goals of the two parties, the barriers caused by party disputes have been effectively overcome.3. The identity characteristics of the interest groups in the evolution of American agricultural resources and environmental protection policy affects the direction and efficiency of policy and institution change. In the initial stage of policy evolution, the dilemma of collective action makes it difficult for the consumers and environmental protection organizations interest group to find effective ways of building close connections with government institutions, so it is difficult to achieve the realization of the expression of public interest in the process of policy making. The environmental incentive mechanism which links subsidies with acreage reduction has opened up the development process of policy evolution, with outstanding short-term results, but it failed to form the continuous improvement of environmental benefits. In the sluggish development stage of policy evolution, the farmers interest group and the agrochemical industry interest group, desperate to pursue benefits at all costs even in the case of damaging public interest, form an interest alliance through agricultural comprehensive enterprises that produce and sell agrochemical products, which aggravates the damage of environmental benefits and health benefits caused by the abuse and misuse of agrochemicals. In the rapid development stage of the policy evolution, the realization of the encompassing interest under the concept of sustainable agriculture promotes the rapid improvement of environmental and health benefits, and the public interest represented by the consumers and environmental protection organizations interest group policy is fully realized. 4. The introduction of exogenous variables and the openness of the system are conducive to the improvement of the efficiency of American agricultural resources and environmental protection policy changes. In the initial stage and sluggish development stage of policy evolution, it is difficult for the consumers and environmental protection organizations interest groups to obtain the dominant position in the process of policy making. In the 1960s, the disclosure of the harm of the agricultural chemical products made the consumers and environmental protection organizations interest group get rid of the "information asymmetry". At the same time, through the wide spread of the concept of sustainable agriculture, it promotes the common interests of different interest groups, and promotes the rapid development of policy evolution in the direction of public interest. In addition, in the 1970s, the end of the government's great power over the congressional committee effectively disrupted the monopoly position of the farmers interest group and the agrochemical industry interest group in the influence of the process of policy making. The transparency of the legislation process was greatly enhanced, and the legislative process of the Congress was open to the public. At the same time, the activities of the members of the Congress were jointly supervised by the public and the media, which made the previous private transactions through internal power curbed to some extent. The advantages of media supervision and the correction of systematic openness to the obstacles of policy change make the positive development efficiency of the policy change of American agricultural resources and environmental protection successfully promoted, and facilitate the comprehensive realization of the "overall optimal" social efficiency in the promotion of economic benefits, environmental benefits and health benefits. From the 1930s to the 1990s, the evolution of American agricultural resources and environmental protection policies has fully demonstrated the important influence of the competition and cooperation of interest groups on the overall performance of the society. The protection of agricultural resources and environment in the disaster area of non-point source pollution bears the grand mission of the coordinated development of all human beings, society and environment. It is of great significance for the sustainable development of society, environment and economy to clarify and condemn the interest constraints in the evolution of agricultural resources and environmental protection policies.

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