The Political Economy Of Food And Nutrition Policies

Few nutritionists and economists fully appreciate how the political environment shapes policy and subsequently affects the relevance of their policy recommendations When governments fail to follow the recommendations of nutritionists and economists and are unable to design and implement cost-effective nutrition programs and policies, it is often attributed to “politics” or to lack of “political will” on the part of decisionmakers Past nutrition planning efforts frequently failed to understand the goals and behavior of the various agents and institutions inside and outside the government that, in the final analysis, determine whether the planning effort is successful In The Political Economy of Food and Nutrition Policies, Per Pinstrup-Andersen brings together a group of distinguished authorities to improve the understanding of how nutrition policies are formulated within larger political and economic contexts and how public-sector agencies behave with regard to food and nutrition.

This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC 4.0 International licence. It is free to read at Oxford Academic and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations. The current structure of the global food system is increasingly recognized as unsustainable. In addition to the environmental impacts of agricultural production, unequal patterns of food access and availability are contributing to non-communicable diseases in middle- and high-income countries and inadequate caloric intake and dietary diversity among the world's poorest. To this end, there have been a growing number of academic and policy initiatives aimed at advancing food system transformation, including the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and several UN Climate conferences. Yet, the policy pathways for achieving a transformed food system are highly contested, and the enabling conditions for implementation are frequently absent. Furthermore, a broad range of polarizing factors affect decisions over the food system at domestic and international levels - from debates over values and (mis)information, to concerns over food self-sufficiency, corporate influence, and human rights. This volume explicitly analyses the political economy dynamics of food system transformation with contributors who span several disciplines, including economics, ecology, geography, nutrition, political science, and public policy. The chapters collectively address the range of interests, institutions, and power in the food system, the diversity of coalitions that form around food policy issues and the tactics they employ, the ways in which policies can be designed and sequenced to overcome opposition to reform, and processes of policy adaptation and learning. Drawing on original surveys, interviews, empirical modelling, and case studies from China, the European Union, Germany, Mexico, South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and the United States, the book touches on issues as wide ranging as repurposing agricultural subsidies, agricultural trade, biotechnology innovations, red meat consumption, sugar-sweetened beverage taxes, and much more.

A solid understanding of domestic political economy helps to promote policies that are better adapted to country realities. The challenges that many governments faced in responding to food price volatility during the 2008 global food crisis re-focused attention on the political economy and implementing effective national policy responses on food security and nutrition. Understanding the political economy behind public policy-making and implementation is crucial to enhancing the effectiveness of policy support to countries and increases the chances of nationally-led reforms that result in better food security and nutrition outcomes. This political economy analysis note is intended to support policy practitioners and other stakeholders in working in a more politically informed way towards a coherent set of policies across relevant sectors. It demonstrates how political economy analysis can add value to policy support work, gives examples of key political economy challenges in food security and nutrition and shres information on the existing frameworks and analysis tools.

The Political Economy of Diet and Health continues the exploration of food systems theory begun in the author's previous publications. It presents a critical exposition of food systems theory and analyses the existing approaches to food consumption. Subjects include: * resolving the diet paradox * the impact of the EU * the lack of policy in the UK * an exploration of the 'diseases of affluence'.

This comprehensive text provides the latest research on key concepts, principles and practices for promoting healthy and sustainable food systems. There are increasing concerns about the impact of food systems on environmental sustainability and, in turn, the impact of environmental sustainability on the capacity of food systems to protect food and nutrition security into the future. The contributors to this book are leading researchers in the causes of and solutions to these challenges. As international experts in their fields, they provide in-depth analyses of the issues and evidence-informed recommendations for future policies and practices. Starting with an overview of ideas about health, sustainability and equity in relation to food systems, Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems examines what constitutes a food system, with chapters on production, manufacturing, distribution and retail, among others. The text explores health and sustainable diets, looking at issues such as overconsumption and waste. The book ends with discussions about the politics, policy, personal behaviours and advocacy behind creating healthy and sustainable food systems. With a food systems approach to health and sustainability identified as a priority area for public health, this text introduces core knowledge for students, academics, practitioners and policy-makers from a range of disciplines including food and nutrition sciences, dietetics, public health, public policy, medicine, health science and environmental science.

First published in 1976, this book deals with contemporary tensions between the West and the Third World, caused by hunger, malnutrition and poverty, perpetuated by an imbalance in the distribution of world resources. The book deals with the issue of malnutrition in the Third World, which owes much more to poverty and unemployment than to agricultural failure. The author also believes that population control can do little in the absence of a more equitable distribution of world resources and political power within and between countries involving a fundamental change in ideology and education. This is a challenging and critical book, whose arguments cannot be ignored by anyone concerned with the creation of a just and stable world order.

From the John Holmes Library collection.

First reference on food consumption and policy.