Omvang en verdeling van het agrarisch inkomen in Nederland, 1923-1963

Van den Noort investigated whether agriculture in the Netherlands always functioned efficiently. He analysed information on the extent and distribution of agricultural income separately for 1923-1940 and 1949-1963. For this purpose the relations between economic factors were examined and clarified by mathematical formulae both existing and specially developed.

Before the War the course of the agricultural income was much more fitful than that of the national income and the decline in agriculture during the years of depression was much greater than in the total national economy. After the War fluctuations remained great, while expansion after 1952 was much slower in agriculture than in the rest of the economy.

Productivity in agriculture increased in both periods much faster than income per unit 'factor input' (the total of production factors in agriculture). After the net price had decreased, consumers profited considerably from the technical progress. These events and the increase in capital per man-year of labour decreased the quantity of labour, more than the total 'factor input'. This was important for a better labour distribution in the national economy.

Sector and functional distribution of income in agriculture were distinguished. The first indicated the role of agriculture in the national income, particularly as to its industry, and was closely bound up with the sector labour distribution. The second one indicated division over the production factors labour and capital (including soil). To study these last factors the course of rentprices and salaries was traced.

In considering the income parity in agriculture the agricultural policy after the War proved to have fulfilled its aims, and agriculture of the Netherlands was shown as a whole to have functioned efficiently.