Food price policy in an era of market instability : a a political economy analysis /
Pinstrup-Andersen, Per ,editor.
World Institute for Development Economic Research.
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 2007-9 when price spikes occurred for key staple food commodities - such as wheat, rice, maize, and soybeans. Given the variety of reactions by governments of countries experiencing similar food price shocks, the 2007-9 crisis offered 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. This book contains the wealth of collaborative research by a global team of experts on food price policy - the research was undertaken on a sizeable group of low- and middle-income countries that were highly affected by the 2007-9 food crisis. The central aim of the study is to 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. The research output proves valuable for at least three target audiences. First, it 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. Second, it can help national policy makers better understand the trade-offs of certain policy interventions. Third, it generates much-needed further knowledge about the agricultural policy-making process in developing countries, which remains incredibly scarce despite the importance of agriculture to these countries’ economies.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Part I. An Overview -- 1. The Political Economy of Food Price Policy: An Overview / Per Pinstrup-Andersen -- Part II. Synthesis of Findings from Country Studies -- 2. International to Domestic Price Transmission in Fourteen Developing Countries during the 2007-8 Food Crisis / Kenneth Baltzer -- 3. A Cacophony of Policy Responses: Evidence from Fourteen Countries during the 2007-8 Food Price Crisis / Shane Bryan -- 4. Policy Processes and Food Price Crises: A Framework for Analysis and Lessons from Country Studies / Suresh Chandra Babu -- 5. A Political Economy Synthesis: The Food Policy Crisis / Derrill D. Watson II -- Part III. The Political Economy of Food Price Policy in Low-Income Landlocked Countries -- 6. The Political Economy of Food Price Policy in Ethiopia / Assefa Admassie -- 7. The Political Economy of Food Price Policy in Malawi / Ephraim W. Chirwa and Blessings Chinsinga -- 8. The Political Economy of Food Price Policy in Zambia / Antony Chapoto --
Part IV. The Political Economy of Food Price Policy in Low-income Countries with Limited Dependence on Food Imports -- 9. The Political Economy of Food Price Policy in Kenya / Jonathan Makau Nzuma -- 10. The Political Economy of Food Price Policy in Mozambique / Virgulino Nhale, Claudio Massingarela, and Vincenzo Salvucci -- Part V. The Political Economy of Food Price Policy in Low- and Middle-income Countries Heavily Dependent on Food Import -- 11. The Political Economy of Food Price Policy in Bangladesh / Selim Raihan -- 12. The Political Economy of Food Price Policy in Egypt / Ahmed Farouk Ghoneim -- 13. The Political Economy of Food Price Policy in Nigeria / Aderibigbe S. Olomola -- 14. The Political Economy of Food Price Policy in Senegal / Danielle Resnick -- Part VI. The Political Economy of Food Price Policy in Large Exporters -- 15. The Political Economy of Food Price Policy in Vietnam / Nguyen Manh Hai and Theodore Talbot -- 16. The Political Economy of Food Price Policy in India / Kavery Ganguly and Ashok Gulati --
17. The Political Economy of Food Price Policy in China / Jikun Huang, Jun Yang, and Scott Rozelle -- 18. The Political Economy of Food Price Policy in Brazil / Bernardo Mueller and Charles Mueller -- 19. The Political Economy of Food Price Policy in South Africa / Johann F. Kirsten -- Part VII. The Political Economy of Food Price Policy in High-income Countries -- 20. US Policy Contributions to Agricultural Commodity Price Fluctuations, 2006-12 / Gordon C. Rausser and Harry de Gorter -- 21. Food Price Volatility and EU Policies / Johan Swinnen, Louise Knops and Kristine van Herck -- Part VIII. Conclusions and Recommendations -- 22. The Political Economy of Food Price Policy: Key Policy-related Lessons / Per Pinstrup-Andersen.
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 2007-9 when price spikes occurred for key staple food commodities - such as wheat, rice, maize, and soybeans. Given the variety of reactions by governments of countries experiencing similar food price shocks, the 2007-9 crisis offered 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. This book contains the wealth of collaborative research by a global team of experts on food price policy - the research was undertaken on a sizeable group of low- and middle-income countries that were highly affected by the 2007-9 food crisis. The central aim of the study is to 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. The research output proves valuable for at least three target audiences. First, it 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. Second, it can help national policy makers better understand the trade-offs of certain policy interventions. Third, it generates much-needed further 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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Description based on print record, CIP data from the publisher, and e-publication e-publication, viewed on September 01, 2020.
Food prices
Food industry and trade
Food supply
Food supply
Also available in print form.

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