Answers to the Three Questions

1)  How do the markets Rivoli discusses differ from an idealized, pure market theory?

 Rivioli states that markets differ from a pure market theory in that markets are not based only on market supply and market demand. The buyer would set a price and the seller would agree because they did it for themselves and for their family. Also, the Farm Bill that was passed in 2002 "increased the farmer's income by 72.24 cents per round." Therefore, the government protected the farmers by subsidizing and sharecropping.

2) Choose one specific example of culture interacting with economics from these chapters.

 Wherever people live, different cultures will interact with different economies, which would play a significant role in the production of goods. Rivioli discusses the importance of interactions between cultures in that United States was better off in productivity and technology than that of West Africa. "On average, US cotton farms produce more than 400 times the cotton than the typical African farm." (pg. 62) 

3) What surprises you in this section of the book?

Chapters one to four was an interesting read. I never thought that United States was booming in the cotton industry. I also did not know where t-shirts came from and how the government prevents the cotton industry. Not only did it impact the cotton industry but other important industries as well. I was able to understand the 
economies of cotton very well.