Distribution of Gains from Research and Promotion in Multi‐Stage Production Systems: The Case of the U.S. Beef and Pork Industries

A producer‐financed program that leads to either an increase in retail demand from promotion or a decrease in marketing costs from research will generate returns to producers that are generally smaller than returns generated through an equivalent change in producer supply from research. The distribution of gains depends on the degree of substitutibility between farm and nonfarm inputs. Comparative statics of equal absolute changes in demand, supply, and marketing costs in the U.S. beef and pork industries show the significance of input substitutibility for distribution of gains, and sensitivity of the results to beef and pork demand interrelationships.