Book Talk: Food Price Policy in an Era of Market Instability

We may be able to adjust to food price change, but what do people do if they can’t keep up with fluctuations that sometimes change dramatically in just a few months?

Multiple challenges face global food systems today, but food price volatility is a major issue which has huge impacts on poverty and malnutrition worldwide. Food prices have fluctuated dramatically over the last decade, especially for commodities such as rice, wheat, and maize.  Despite the importance of agriculture in many developing countries’ economies, few understand the processes that led to policy responses or the relative power and behavior of stakeholders. Understanding why governments responded as they did to these food price fluctuations is important for shaping new strategies to confront future price volatility in the market.

Join us for a Chats in the Stacks talk with Graduate School Professor Per Pinstrup-Andersen, editor of the new book Food Price Policy in an Era of Market Instability: A Political Economy Analysis, published by Oxford University Press in January of 2015.  His book presents the political economy studies of food price policy in 14 developing countries as well as the United States and the European Union. Pinstrup-Andersen is adjunct professor at Copenhagen University, chairman of the High Panel of Experts on Food Security (HLPE) and vice chairman of the World Economic Forum's Council on food Security.

This event is hosted by Mann Library. Light refreshments served.