Optimal Tenancy Contract Design

A landowner knows that the total agricultural surplus from their land is maximized when a farmer works exactly 8 hours per day. The landowner wants to design a fixed-rent tenancy contract that incentivizes the farmer to voluntarily choose to work for 8 hours. Which of the following rent-setting strategies would achieve this outcome, and why?

A landowner knows that the maximum possible total surplus from their land is 100 units of grain, which is achieved when a tenant farmer works 8 hours a day. In this optimal scenario, the landowner's share of the surplus would be 40 units, and the farmer's share would be 60 units. The landowner decides to offer the farmer a tenancy contract where the farmer pays a fixed daily rent and keeps all the remaining output. If the landowner sets the fixed rent at 50 units, what is the most likely effect on the farmer's choice of work hours, assuming the farmer accepts the contract?

A landowner wants to use a fixed-rent tenancy contract to ensure a tenant works the specific number of hours that maximizes the total agricultural surplus. To achieve this, the landowner must set the rent equal to the total surplus generated at that level of work.

A landowner wants to rent land to a farmer. The landowner knows that the total agricultural surplus is maximized when the farmer works 8 hours a day, which produces a total output of 90 bushels. The farmer's reservation option for working 8 hours (the minimum they must receive to be willing to do the work) is 35 bushels. To create a fixed-rent tenancy contract that incentivizes the farmer to voluntarily choose to work exactly 8 hours, the rent must be set at ____ bushels.

Analyzing Tenant Incentives with a Sub-Optimal Rent

A landowner wants to rent out a plot of land to a tenant farmer. The landowner's goal is to set a single, fixed daily rent that incentivizes the tenant to voluntarily work the number of hours that maximizes the total agricultural surplus (the difference between total output and the tenant's reservation value). The relationship between the tenant's hours worked, the total output, and the tenant's reservation value (the minimum amount they must receive to be willing to work) is shown in the table below.

Based on this data, what fixed rent should the landowner set to achieve their goal?

Comparing Contractual Mechanisms for Optimal Outcomes

Adjusting Tenancy Contracts to External Shocks

Evaluating a Flawed Tenancy Agreement