The Political Economy of Agricultural and Food Policies

The Political Economy of Agricultural and Food Policies PDF Author: Johan Swinnen
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1137501022
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
Winner of the European Association of Agricultural Economists Book Award Food and agriculture have been subject to heavy-handed government interventions throughout much of history and across the globe, both in developing and in developed countries. Today, more than half a trillion US dollars are spent by some governments to support farmers, while other governments impose regulations and taxes that hurt farmers. Some policies, such as price regulations and tariffs, distribute income but reduce total welfare by introducing economic distortions. Other policies, such as public investments in research, food standards, or land reforms, may increase total welfare, but these policies come also with distributional effects. These distributional effects influence the preferences of interest groups and in turn influence policy decisions. Political considerations are therefore crucial to understand how agricultural and food policies are determined, to identify the constraints within which welfare-enhancing reforms are possible (or not), and finally to understand how coalitions can be created to stimulate growth and reduce poverty.

The Political Economy of Agricultural and Food Policies

The Political Economy of Agricultural and Food Policies PDF Author: Johan Swinnen
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1137501022
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 264

Get Book Here

Book Description
Winner of the European Association of Agricultural Economists Book Award Food and agriculture have been subject to heavy-handed government interventions throughout much of history and across the globe, both in developing and in developed countries. Today, more than half a trillion US dollars are spent by some governments to support farmers, while other governments impose regulations and taxes that hurt farmers. Some policies, such as price regulations and tariffs, distribute income but reduce total welfare by introducing economic distortions. Other policies, such as public investments in research, food standards, or land reforms, may increase total welfare, but these policies come also with distributional effects. These distributional effects influence the preferences of interest groups and in turn influence policy decisions. Political considerations are therefore crucial to understand how agricultural and food policies are determined, to identify the constraints within which welfare-enhancing reforms are possible (or not), and finally to understand how coalitions can be created to stimulate growth and reduce poverty.

The political economy of reforming agricultural support policies

The political economy of reforming agricultural support policies PDF Author: Vos, Rob
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 45

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Book Description
Agricultural support policies cost more than US$800 billion per year in transfers to the farm sector worldwide. Support policies based on subsidies and trade barriers are highly distortive to markets and are also regressive as most support is provided to larger farmers. On balance, the incentives this support creates appear to increase greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. In addition, some subsidies undermine the production of more nutrient-dense commodities that are otherwise critical for the improvement of dietary outcomes. This paper first highlights that better outcomes could be achieved if even a small portion of agricultural subsidies were repurposed into investments in research and development (R&D) dedicated to productivity-enhancing and emission-reducing technologies. This would create multiple wins — mitigating global climate change, reducing poverty, increasing food security, and improving nutrition. Nonetheless, the political economy challenges to doing so are sizeable. Because current support policies are often politically popular and serve well-organized interests, reform is difficult without committed political leadership and multilateral collaboration. Using several case studies of both successful and failed changes of agricultural support policies in China, India, and the EU and the United States, we highlight lessons learned about the political economy constraints on and possibilities for reform.

Agricultural Trade, Policy Reforms, and Global Food Security

Agricultural Trade, Policy Reforms, and Global Food Security PDF Author: Kym Anderson
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1137469250
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 389

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Book Description
This book explores the potential for policy reform as a short-term, low-cost way to sustainably enhance global food security. It argues that reforming policies that distort food prices and trade will promote the openness needed to maximize global food availability and reduce fluctuations in international food prices. Beginning with an examination of historical trends in markets and policies, Anderson assesses the prospects for further reforms, and projects how they may develop over the next fifteen years. He pays particular attention to domestic policy changes made possible by the information technology revolution, which will complement global change to deal directly with farmer and consumer concerns.

Policy Reform in American Agriculture

Policy Reform in American Agriculture PDF Author: David Orden
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 9780226632643
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 300

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Book Description
Students of public policy and practitioners within the farm program arena will find theis book an essential source of insight, information, and original cross-disciplinary argument."--BOOK JACKET.

Distortions to Agricultural Incentives

Distortions to Agricultural Incentives PDF Author: Kym Anderson
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 0821376667
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 682

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Book Description
This volume in the 'Distortions to Agricultural Incentives' series focus on distortions to agricultural incentives from a global perspective.

Harvesting State Support

Harvesting State Support PDF Author: Hanno Jentzsch
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
ISBN: 1487508549
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 284

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Book Description
Harvesting State Support provides an analytical focus on the local implementation and interpretation of the agricultural reform process in Japan.

The New Political Economy of Land Reform in South Africa

The New Political Economy of Land Reform in South Africa PDF Author: Adeoye O. Akinola
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030511294
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 284

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Book Description
This book analyzes the new political economy of land reform in South Africa. It takes a holistic approach to understand South Africa’s land reform, assesses the current policy gaps, and suggests ways of filling them. Due to its cross-disciplinary approach, the book will appeal to a broad audience, and will benefit readers from the fields of policy reform, administration, law, political science, political economics, agricultural economics, global politics, resource studies and development studies.

Agricultural Trade Reform and the Doha Development Agenda

Agricultural Trade Reform and the Doha Development Agenda PDF Author: Kym Anderson
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 0821362402
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 442

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Book Description
Providing the most complete and up to date analysis of the range of agricultural issues under negotiation in the multilateral trade negotiations underway in the World Trade Organization (WTO), this title is a valuable resource to policymakers, agricultural private sector, and academics in developing and assessing the negotiating options.

Dealing with Losers

Dealing with Losers PDF Author: Michael J. Trebilcock
Publisher:
ISBN: 0190456949
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 242

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Book Description
Dealing with Losers addresses the transition costs associated with most policy reforms and strategies for mitigating those costs in order to facilitate the necessary political compromises to ensure that socially desirable reforms move forward. This book examines widely disparate public policy contexts - from trade liberalization to agricultural supply management, immigration, and climate change policy - to illustrate the importance, in political economy terms, of well-considered transition cost mitigation strategies.

Problem-Driven Political Economy Analysis

Problem-Driven Political Economy Analysis PDF Author: Verena Fritz
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 1464801223
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
This volume presents eight good practice examples of problem-driven political economy analysis conducted at the World Bank, and reflect what the Bank has so far been able to achieve in mainstreaming this approach into its operations and policy dialogue.