Governing Urban Food Systems in the Long Run: Comparing Best Practices in Sustainable Food Procurement Regulations
Open access
Author
Date
2016Type
- Journal Article
Abstract
Today’s food and agricultural systems are closely linked to pressing challenges for sustainable human life. Longer-term policy-making is seriously needed. Urban decision-makers have considerable power to shape the food and agricultural sector by, among other things, changing public food procurements towards greater sustainability.
The aim of this comparative study is to explain variation in the ambitiousness of policy targets and the successful implementation of urban food policies in the cities of Zurich, Munich and Nuremberg. I conducted an in-depth process-tracing analysis of the mechanisms behind the adoption and implementation of 13 sustainable food procurement regulations officially adopted by the city councils from 2003 to 2014. In all 13 cases, high electoral safety, credible expectations of long-term policy benefits and high executive institutional capacity are necessary conditions for the adoption of long-term policies. However, they do not explain variation in target’s ambition and implementation’s success. Based on theory-building process-tracing, I argue that the variation in the degree of adoption and implementation success of long-term policies can be explained by five policy process and design features: 1. deliberative and corporatist governance mechanisms, 2. a high level of central coordination for crosscutting policy implementation, 3. involvement of decision-makers in policy networks, 4. strong use of evidence-based instruments, 5. bundling of short-term and long-term benefits. Show more
Permanent link
https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-a-010810909Publication status
publishedExternal links
Journal / series
GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and SocietyVolume
Pages / Article No.
Publisher
OekomSubject
NUREMBERG, CITY (GERMANY); PROVISIONS + FOOD SUPPLIES (PUBLIC HEALTH); AGRICULTURE IN URBAN AREAS (AGRICULTURAL MANAGEMENT); LOKALE, REGIONALE, DEZENTRALISIERTE UMWELTPOLITIK (POLITIK); ZURICH, CITY (CANTON OF ZURICH); Process-tracing; Sustainable food procurement; Comparative study; LANDWIRTSCHAFT IN URBANEN GEBIETEN (LANDWIRTSCHAFTLICHE BETRIEBSFÜHRUNG); SUSTAINABILITY (ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION); LOCAL, REGIONAL, DECENTRALIZED ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY (POLITICS); ERNÄHRUNGSPOLITIK + LEBENSMITTELPOLITIK; MÜNCHEN, STADT (DEUTSCHLAND); LEBENSMITTEL-VERSORGUNG (ÖFFENTLICHES GESUNDHEITSWESEN); NACHHALTIGKEIT (UMWELTSCHUTZ); Long-term governance; Deliberation; Bundling; FOOD POLICY + NUTRITION POLICY; STADTPOLITIK (STÄDTEWESEN); MUNICH, CITY (GERMANY); Corporatism; Veto player; NÜRNBERG, STADT (DEUTSCHLAND); ZÜRICH, STADT (KANTON ZÜRICH); Policy design; Urban food policy; URBAN POLITICS (URBAN STUDIES)Organisational unit
02045 - Dep. Geistes-, Sozial- u. Staatswiss. / Dep. of Humanities, Social and Pol.Sc.03446 - Bernauer, Thomas / Bernauer, Thomas
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