Overcoming the dependent variable problem in studying food policy

Abstract

The development of a comparative food policy research agenda has been hampered by the dependent variable problem of how to delineate the policy field. Through a concise literature review, we show that the existing literature has conceptualised food policy as policy outputs, institutional orders, or discursive constructs. Focusing on the policy outputs, we define food policy as a set of policy outputs adopted to address one or more food system activities (production, processing and packaging, distribution and retailing, and consumption) with the explicit aim of affecting food system outcomes in a desired direction. The paper develops a heuristic encompassing four dimensions along which food policy outputs may differ: (i) policy scope, (ii) targeting of policy efforts, (iii) type of policy instruments applied and how these are calibrated, and (iv) integration of the various components of the policy complex. These four dimensions can be applied to characterise individual food policies and compare across countries and time. Comparing and tracking the development of food policy along these dimensions would allow for addressing follow-up questions about impacts and what explains policy change. Keywords Food policy. Comparative research. Dependent variable problem. Public policy. Food system Highlights • Comparative food policy research has been hampered by a dependent variable problem • We suggest that this problem can be overcome by focusing on policy outputs • We propose a heuristic that encompasses four dimensions along which outputs differ • These dimensions include: scope, targeting, substantiality and integration • This approach can be used to compare food policies across contexts and over time * Jeroen Candel

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“…The variety of approaches to urban food policies has recently been investigated by various researches, which attempt to map the most effective policy models for the urban food policy establishment (Doernberg et al, 2019;López Cifuentes et al, 2021;Moragues-Faus and Battersby, 2021b;Vara-Sánchez et al, 2021). To address the interconnected challenges of food systems effectively, scientists and policymakers have stressed the need for integrated food policy (Lang et al, 2009;MacRae, 2011;IPES-Food, 2017;Moragues-Faus et al, 2017;Candel and Daugbjerg, 2019). However, one of the aspects that still remains partially unexplored in the research on Urban Food Policy is the ability to integrate the different sectors that, directly or indirectly, have an impact on food systems or could benefit from food policies.…”

Realizing urban food policy: a discursive institutionalist analysis of Ede municipality

“…Our global food system faces a wide range of sustainability challenges, such as obesity, food waste and climate change. To address these interconnected challenges effectively, scientists and policy makers have stressed the need for integrated food policy (Lang et al 2009; MacRae 2011; IPES-Food 2017; Moragues-Faus et al 2017; Candel and Daugbjerg 2019). Integrated food policies emphasize the multifaceted and interrelated nature of food challenges, and address these in a concerted manner (Mendes 2007;Sibbing et al 2019), thereby integrating health, environmental, social, and economic dimensions to realize sustainable food and nutrition security (Lang et al 2009;Moragues-Faus and Morgan 2015).…”

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“…Overall, my contribution entails that I deepened the understanding of local food policy-making by-and within local governments, by applying public administration theories to food policy-making in several ways. This is key for advancing the study of local food policy, as previous food policy research has left the variables and ideas about policy change under-conceptualized (Candel and Daugbjerg 2019). Primarily, I introduced a relatively new policy field -food policy-to the policy integration literature (chapter 2).…”

“…Our global food system faces a wide range of sustainability challenges, such as obesity, food waste and climate change. To address these interconnected challenges effectively, scientists and policy makers have stressed the need for integrated food policy (Lang et al 2009;MacRae 2011;IPES-Food 2017b;Moragues-Faus et al 2017;Candel and Daugbjerg 2019). Integrated food policies emphasize the multifaceted and interrelated nature of food challenges, and address these in a concerted manner (Mendes 2007;, thereby integrating health, environmental, social, and economic dimensions to realize sustainable food and nutrition security (Lang et al 2009;Moragues-Faus and Morgan 2015).…”