Convention theory in the Anglophone agro-food literature: Past, present and future

Ponte, Stefano

doi:10.1016/j.jrurstud.2015.12.019

Cited by 126 publications

(102 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…The sociology of organised action thus shares with the economy of conventions and actor‐network theory (ANT), which are better known in rural studies, a concern for the actual conditions under which actions are coordinated. Without written rules, material devices, or quality conventions, agri‐food networks could not exist (see, for example, Le Velly and Dufeu ; Ponte ). Several investigations in the sociology of organised action have, on this basis, also emphasised the importance of the project (Reynaud ; Terssac and Lalande ; Reynaud ; Segrestin ; Bréchet et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Allowing for the Projective Dimension of Agency in Analysing Alternative Food Networks

Velly

2018

Sociologia Ruralis

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This article argues for including the projective dimension of agency in research into alternative food networks. Starting from a review of the literature, I show that referring to the notion of project is useful to answer the questions raised by the use of the term “alternative” and to reinforce analyses of hybridisation and conventionalisation processes. I argue that alternative food networks are characterised by a “promise of difference” in the projects of the actors who promote them. To clarify this notion of project, I rely on the work of French sociologists concerning the creation of “organised action”. I posit that taking account of the project amounts to recognising human beings' abilities to imagine and to construct new collectives such as those that are studied in research into alternative food networks. I also underscore the need to envision the project not as a clear determinant of action, but rather as a fuzzy landmark, meaning that negotiation and arbitration are required to set the rules involved in its implementation.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Allowing for the Projective Dimension of Agency in Analysing Alternative Food Networks

Velly

2018

Sociologia Ruralis

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“…The global value-chain concept is an excellent example of how one can model wideranging global chains of coordination by adopting the theoretical perspective of economics of convention (Daviron & Ponte, 2005;Ponte, 2016). 8 This concept also aptly demonstrates how to model an institutionalist perspective (in this case, how to govern coordination across different stages of production) by focusing on the construction of quality.…”

Section: Global Value Chainsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…From the perspective of economics of convention, labels and certification are necessary strategies and signals of form investment, which are dispositives for the ascription of qualities to products. The analysis of agrarian food production, therefore, has been an important application of economics of convention (see the contributions in Allaire & Boyer, 1995;Nicolas & Valceschini, 1995;Ponte, 2016;Sánchez-Hernández, Aparicio-Amador & Alonso-Santos, 2010).…”

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confidence: 99%

Economics of Convention and its Perspective on Knowledge and Institutions

Diaz-Bone

2018

Knowledge and Space

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Knowledge and institutions can be conceptually related in different ways, and different institutional approaches offer different perspectives on this relation. This chapter draws attention to the French pragmatist institutionalism of the so-called economics of convention. I present the core concepts and methodological position of this approach and explore its perspective on knowledge, conventions, and institutions. Thereby, the economic institutionalism of transaction-cost economics (Ronald Coase and Oliver Williamson) has been influential in the field of economics, and Williamson's (1985) theory in particular has been important for the economics of convention as a counterpart.Considering the relation between institutions and knowledge from the standpoint of acting and coordinating actors, one may question the idea of institutions as external constraints on action and coordination. One may also challenge the idea of pregiven meanings that institutions have for actors as it is thought in Williamson's (1985) transaction-cost approach and the economic institutionalism of North (1990). For economics of convention, the situational handling and meaning of institutions for coordinating actors is regarded as incomplete. This view points to the competence of actors to tap into deeper culturally established knowledge frames-called conventions-to interpret and deal with institutions in pragmatic situations. This position is the pragmatic process of "transferring" the institution into the process of action and coordination. It can be referred to as an internal conception of action and coordination.

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“…Pragmatic sociology, or conventions theory (CT), has been a prominent theoretical perspective in attempts to move beyond normative binaries (Rosin and Campbell ; Campbell and Rosin ; Ponte ). While some subscribing to this approach have found trends towards conventionalisation (Truninger ) and bifurcation (Murdoch and Miele ), these approaches have mainly attempted to elaborate views on the practical coordination of (organic) agricultural systems and consumption (e.g., Raynolds ; Kjeldsen and Ingemann ; Ponte ; Andersen ; Bernzen and Braun ).…”

Section: Making Differences Through Justifications and Critiquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Making a difference. Constructing relations between organic and conventional agriculture in Finland in the emergence of organic agriculture

Lehtimäki

2018

Sociologia Ruralis

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This article analyses debates on the difference between organic and conventional agriculture. Departing from earlier accounts on the subject, it is argued that rather than conceptualising the subject as a case of diminishing differences, research should also focus on examining the making of these differences. This latter approach is connected to the notion that organic agriculture, understood as an alternative to conventional forms of agriculture, needs to justify its position by showing how it is different from them. To examine this issue, the article analyses the case of the emergence of organic agriculture in Finland. By analysing guidebooks, committee reports, and research publications the article analyses the construction of differences between organic and conventional. The case study shows that the difference between organic and conventional agriculture has been at the core of the debate, necessitating advocates of organic agriculture to actively construct it in different ways. This boundary making has operated differently depending on the various registers according to which organic agriculture and food have been assessed.

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Convention theory in the Anglophone agro-food literature: Past, present and future

Cited by 126 publications

References 73 publications

Allowing for the Projective Dimension of Agency in Analysing Alternative Food Networks

Allowing for the Projective Dimension of Agency in Analysing Alternative Food Networks

Economics of Convention and its Perspective on Knowledge and Institutions

Making a difference. Constructing relations between organic and conventional agriculture in Finland in the emergence of organic agriculture

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