Kym Anderson

Johan F. M. Swinnen

The vast majority of the world's poorest households depend on farming for their livelihood. During the 1960s and 1970s, most developing countries imposed pro-urban and anti-agricultural policies, while many high-income countries restricted agricultural imports and subsidized their farmers. Both sets of policies inhibited economic growth and poverty alleviation in developing countries. Although progress has been made over the past two decades to reduce those policy biases, many trade- and welfare-reducing price distortions remain between agriculture and other sectors as well as within the agricultural sector of both rich and poor countries. Comprehensive empirical studies of the disarray in world agricultural markets first appeared approximately 20 years ago. Since then the OECD has provided estimates each year of market distortions in high-income countries, but there has been no comparable estimates for the world's developing countries. This volume is the first in a series (other volumes cover Africa, Asia, and Latin America) that not only fill that void for recent years but extend the estimates in a consistent and comparable way back in time--and provide analytical narratives for scores of countries that shed light on the evolving nature and extent of policy interventions over the past half-century. 'Distortions to Agricultural Incentives in Europe's Transition Economies' provides an overview of the evolution of distortions to agricultural incentives caused by price and trade policies in the economies of Eastern Europe and Central Asia that are transitioning away from central planning. The book includes country and subregional studies of the ten transition economies of Central and Eastern Europe that joined the European Union in 2004 or 2007, of seven other large member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, and of Turkey. Together these countries comprise over 90 percent of the Europe and Central Asia region's population and GDP. Sectoral, trade, and exchange rate policies in the region have changed greatly since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, but price distortions remain. The new empirical indicators in these country studies provide a strong evidence-based foundation for evaluating policy options in the years ahead.

Distortions to Agricultural Incentives in Europe's Transition Economies

Eleni Kaditi

This volume is the result of research and exchange activities within the European Network of Agricultural and Rural Policy Research Institutes (ENARPRI). It synthesizes various analyses related to EU agricultural policies, trade agreements, and the issue of multifunctionality. The book focuses on the impact of regional, bilateral, and multilateral trade agreements that the EU has concluded or is in the process of negotiating, as well as on the interaction between EU policies and trade agreements, in the context of multifunctionality and sustainable development. Most of the trade agreements examined are extremely complex and impact not only efficiency and growth, but also income and welfare distribution within the EU. Special attention is given to the effects of possible WTO negotiation outcomes on the EU and third countries, as well as on the impact of the EuroMed trade proposals and agreements on trade flows and economic development of the EU's trading partners in the Mediterranean.

Trade Agreements, Multifunctionality and EU Agriculture

This book looks at the restructuring of the agri-food industry and the rise of global retail chains in developing and transition countries, focusing on the implications of these changes for the poor. Part I (chapters 2-7) (i) identifies global changes in food standards and supply chains, (ii) explains their emergence and relevance for today's trade and development debate, and (iii) presents a series of conceptual frameworks necessary to understand the changes and their effects. Part II (chapters 8-18) contains a set of empirical studies, organized by region, which present new quantitative information on the effects of globalization and vertical contracting in modern supply chains in developing, emerging and transition countries. Part III (chapters 19-22) discusses the implications of these developments for the international policy agenda. The book has a subject index.

How the Globalization of Food Systems and Standards Affects Rural Development and Poverty

Global Supply Chains, Standards and the Poor

Axel Marx

Miet Maertens

'This book draws out the profound implications and transformational dynamics of multi-level global governance of natural resources, labour standards and particularly food safety. the hybrid private-public governance of these supply chains has in some contexts made large western retailer groups more dominant regulators than states. Yet the new regulatory governance is more pluralistic in its flux than a shift from state to retailer hegemony. Governance by contracts of global sway more than government by statutes of states drives regulatory innovation. Legal entrepreneurs and model mongers of many stripes inspire this innovation. Political theory is yet to come to grips with the significance of the shifts this thoughtful collection ably traces.' – John Braithwaite, Australian National University 'This edited volume represents a major contribution to scholarship on the role of private standards in global governance. It brings together a wealth of important new research written by a distinguished group of scholars. It is noteworthy not only for the breadth and depth of its case-studies, but by its extensive analysis of the legal dimensions of private standard setting and enforcement.' – David Vogel, University of California, Berkeley, US Private regulatory initiatives aim to govern supply chains across the globe according to a set of environmental, food safety and/or social standards. Until now, literature on the topic has been fragmented and divided by research fields. However, this unique and comprehensive book bridges these disciplinary and thematic research lines, bringing together an interdisciplinary group of leading scholars to identify key issues. the expert contributors assess the state-of-the-art with regard to private regulation of food, natural resources and labour conditions. They begin with an introduction to, and discussion of, several leading existing private standards, and go on to assess private food standards and their legitimacy and effectiveness in the context of the global trade regime. This truly multidisciplinary assessment of the scope and importance of private standards as a governance tool in a globalizing world will prove to be an enlightening read for a wide-ranging audience encompassing: academics, students, researchers, policymakers and analysts focusing on private forms of governance in several sectors including economics, law, politics, development, environment and agriculture.

Economic, Legal and Political Perspectives

Private Standards and Global Governance

Beer has been consumed across the globe for centuries and was the drink of choice in many ancient societies. Today it is the most important alcoholic drink worldwide, in terms of volume and value. The largest brewing companies have developed into global multinationals, and the beer market has enjoyed strong growth in emerging economies, but there has been a substantial decline of beer consumption in traditional markets and a shift to new products. There is close interaction between governments and markets in the beer industry. For centuries, taxes on beer or its raw materials have been a major source of tax revenue and governments have regulated the beer industry for reasons related to quality, health, and competition. This book is the first economic analysis of the beer market and brewing industry. The introduction provides an economic history of beer, from monasteries in the early Middle Ages to the recent 'microbrewery movement', whilst other chapters consider whether people drink more beer during recessions, the effect of television on local breweries, and what makes a country a 'beer drinking' nation. It comprises a comprehensive and unique set of economic research and analysis on the economics of beer and brewing and covers economic history and development, supply and demand, trade and investment, geography and scale economies, technology and innovation, health and nutrition, quantity and quality, industrial organization and competition, taxation and regulation, and regional beer market developments.

The Economics of Beer

For decades, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union survived many attempts to abolish it, and it acquired a reputation for being virtually impossible to reform in any meaningful way. Finally, during the tenure of Franz Fischler as European Commissioner for Agriculture from 1995 to 2004, the most radical reform in the policy's history was implemented. Defying the skepticism of friends and foes, Fischler managed to fundamentally transform the nature of the CAP. This book is the first to review the reforms that were implemented, to analyze how they came about, and to explain which forces made them possible. It brings together perspectives from inside and outside the policy community, including from those closely involved in the policy debates, and an interdisciplinary perspective from economists and political scientists. The authors are senior policymakers and well-respected academics. Contributors include Christophe Crombez (University of Leuven and Stanford University), Wyn Grant (University ofWarwick), Christian H.C.A. Henning (University of Kiel),Tim Josling (Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and Stanford University), Rolf Moehler (formerly of the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission), Alessandro Olper (University of Milan), Corrado Pirzio-Biroli (RISE Foundation), Jan Pokrivcak (Slovak Agricultural University), and Barbara Syrrakos (New School for Social Research).

Johan F. M. Swinnen

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