i Acknowledgements

A single name may stand on the front page of this thesis, but more than a few mentors, teachers and friends were the influence, support and inspiration without which this endeavor could hardly be completed, and perhaps not even be embarked upon. First, I want to express my gratitude to my advisor, Dr. T. Randall Fortenbery, who has supervised this work over the past three years, and has provided me with essential financial and intellectual support. Randy’s understanding of commodity markets is without par, and through many debates he has challenged me to think more deeply, write more clearly and has corrected more omitted definite articles in my drafts than I would like to admit. I have also benefited immensely from discussions with Professors Jean-Paul Chavas, Brian W. Gould, Bruce E. Hansen and James E. Hodder. I am deeply thankful for their willingness to serve on my PhD thesis committee and read through early drafts of these essays. Their substantial scholarly contributions, sharp intellectual instincts and, above all, kind nature and spirit illuminate all students fortunate to be able to work with them. A special thanks goes to my colleagues and friends at The Institute of Economics, Zagreb where I started my post-college career before coming to US for graduate studies. Without the encouragement I got from Dr. Nenad Starc, the head of my division and a dear mentor and friend, and Dr. Sandra Švaljek, th