Recent empirical studies argue that the implementation of quality standards among agricultural exporters has the character of a fixed cost. However, this can be misleading if fixed costs are only understood in terms of required investments. Instead, we argue that standard adoption is the result...

The global agri-food system is experiencing a far-reaching transformation process. The consequences for small, asset-poor farmers are a topic of special concern in development oriented agricultural research. One main characteristic of the trend is the increasing importance of food safety and...

This paper presents the results of a doctoral study within the program “Biodiversity and Society” of the Graduate School of Social Sciences at the Georg-August University, Göttingen. Food safety and organic consumption are key concepts of the study, focussing on the current situation in the...

One of the primary outcomes of this thesis has been to develop an assessment model of the operational and organisational structure with regard to the AMOR approach (Alliances for the Mutual Organisation of Risk oriented inspection strategies). The AMOR model comprises the formation of an...

Introduction -- Part One: Theory & background -- Institutional systems -- Viewing governance from below -- Coalitions -- Part Two: Cases -- Global food safety governance and Africa -- Global IP governance and African coalitions -- Africa and the governance of agricultural trade -- Conclusion

"Brazil has become one of today's major producers and net exporters of grains. This was achieved by converting barren land into one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. Since the mid-1970s, the tropical savanna, known as Cerrado, has been transformed into one of the world's...

"Food waste, hunger, inhumane livestock conditions, disappearing fish stocks--these are exactly the kind of issues we expect food regulations to combat. Yet, today in the United States, laws exist at all levels of government that actually make these problems worse. Baylen Linnekin argues that,...

Retailers' private standards are increasingly important in addressing consumer concerns about safety, quality and social and environmental issues. Empirical evidence shows that these private standards are frequently more stringent than their public counterparts. This article develops a political...