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Professor Tarp has four decades of experience in academic and applied development economics research and teaching. His field experience covers more than two decades of in-country work in 35 countries across Africa and the developing world more...
Food price volatility is one of the major challenges facing the global agricultural system today. This was most vividly illustrated during the global food crisis of 2007-2009 when price spikes occurred for key staple commodities such as wheat, rice, maize, and soybeans. Given the variety of reactions by governments of countries experiencing similar food price shocks, the crisis offers an excellent natural experiment for generating knowledge on responses to price volatility in particular and on the political economy of agricultural policy-making more generally. With its collaborating partners, this UNU-WIDER project consisted of case studies on 17 low- and middle-income countries that were highly affected by the 2007-2009 food crisis.
These case studies uncover which political economy factors, ranging from the constellation of different interest groups to the nature of political institutions, explain variations in policy responses across countries. These case studies are valuable for at least three target audiences.
First, they can inform international organizations and donors about which types of policy interventions can mitigate price volatility and whether they are feasible given a country’s political economy context.
Secondly, they can help national policymakers better understand the trade-offs of certain policy interventions.
Thirdly, they can generate knowledge about the agricultural policy-making process in developing countries, which remains incredibly scarce despite the importance of agriculture to these countries’ economies.
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Working Paper
Smoothing food price trends in NigeriaThis study reviews the political economy issues surrounding the 2008 food crisis in Nigeria; the lessons learned from management of the crisis; analyses the performance of policies aimed at stabilizing prices; and proffers policy measures for...
Working Paper
India’s political economy responses to the global food price shock of 2007–08India’s policy responses to the food price crisis were strong. Exports of basic staples were banned. Domestic support prices of wheat and rice were raised substantially. The urea price increases in global markets were absorbed through enhanced...
Working Paper
The political economy of food price policyThis paper identifies eight political economy factors that influenced governments’ policy choices during the most recent global food price crisis. To explain the variety of responses and the policy failures, a framework is proposed that locates...
Blog
The Political Economy of Food Price Policy - An Interview with Per Pinstrup-Andersen
In this interview, Per Pinstrup-Andersen talks about the international project which has culminated in the book Food Price Policy in an Era of Market...
Research Brief
The political economy of food price policy in EgyptThe Egyptian food system has been affected by both global food markets and domestic factors. During the recent global food price crisis, an estimated 30–40 percent of the price fluctuations in the global food market were transmitted to Egypt’s food...
Research Brief
Policy processes and the global food price crisis 2007-08The recent food price crisis and the responses of the policy makers in developing countries provide an unprecedented opportunity to analyse the policy processes in these countries. Policy responses differed depending on the nature and magnitude of...
Research Brief
Food security in BangladeshGlobal food price hikes during 2007-08 resulted in a sharp rise in staple food prices in Bangladesh, which in turn led to a significant rise in the number of households falling below the poverty line. On the political front, Bangladesh was run by an...
Research Brief
The political economy of food price policy in ChinaThe global food crisis in 2007–08 raised concerns everywhere, including in China. However, despite China’s highly-integrated domestic and international markets for many agricultural commodities, the effect of the crisis in China was only moderate...
Research Brief
The impact of the 2007-08 food price crisis in BrazilThe impact of the 2007–08 food price crisis in Brazil was relatively subdued compared with what took place in many other developing countries. Because the crisis potentially undermined both social inclusion and price stability, both important...
Book
Food Price Policy in an Era of Market InstabilityThis book is Open Access and available here. Food price volatility is one of the major challenges facing current and future global food systems. Since 2006, global food prices have fluctuated greatly around an increasing trend and price spikes were...
Displaying 32 of 64 results