Political economy and institutions of food policy and development.

Today the global economy, its development challenges and its food security are a very different place from 10 years ago.  A series of crises have challenged our thinking on the way an economy and food system is best managed, in particular the role of the state and that of the market, and on the problems and opportunities that lie ahead.  The Methusalem Research Program studies food policy and development and in particular the impact of government interventions, the role of economic and political decision-making, and the role played by institutions and institutional change – and how existing economic models should be adapted to incorporate new (economic and political) realities. The methodological focus is a combination of theory and econometric analyses of innovative micro-data.  Research is organized around five research themes:

1. Political Economy and Institutions of Food Security (“Food Security”)
2. Institutions, Reforms and Rural Development (“Rural Institutions”)
3. Globalization, Institutions and Development (“Global Value Chains”)
4. Political Economy of Information and Institutions of the Media (“Information and Media”)
5. Political Institutions, Conflict and Development (“Conflict”)