IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/cog/poango/v7y2019i4p32-47.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Finding Our Way to Food Democracy: Lessons from US Food Policy Council Governance

Author

Listed:
  • Karen Bassarab

    (Center for a Livable Future, Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA)

  • Jill K. Clark

    (John Glenn College of Public Affairs, Ohio State University, USA)

  • Raychel Santo

    (Center for a Livable Future, Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA)

  • Anne Palmer

    (Center for a Livable Future, Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA / Department of Health, Behavior and Society, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA)

Abstract

Food policy councils (FPCs) are an embodiment of food democracy, providing a space for community members, professionals, and government to learn together, deliberate, and collectively devise place-based strategies to address complex food systems issues. These collaborative governance networks can be considered a transitional stage in the democratic process, an intermediary institution that coordinates interests not typically present in food policymaking. In practice, FPCs are complex and varied. Due to this variety, it is not entirely clear how the structure, membership, and relationship to government of an FPC influence its policy priorities. This article will examine the relationship between an FPC’s organizational structure, relationship to government, and membership and its policy priorities. Using data from a 2018 survey of FPCs in the United States by the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future paired with illustrative cases, we find that an FPC’s relationship to government and membership have more bearing on its policy priorities than the organizational structure. Further, the cases illustrate how membership is determined and deliberation occurs, highlighting the difficulty of including underrepresented voices in the process.

Suggested Citation

  • Karen Bassarab & Jill K. Clark & Raychel Santo & Anne Palmer, 2019. "Finding Our Way to Food Democracy: Lessons from US Food Policy Council Governance," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 32-47.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:poango:v7:y:2019:i:4:p:32-47
    DOI: 10.17645/pag.v7i4.2092
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/2092
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.17645/pag.v7i4.2092?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Archon Fung & Erik Olin Wright, 2001. "Deepening Democracy: Innovations in Empowered Participatory Governance," Politics & Society, , vol. 29(1), pages 5-41, March.
    2. Jana Baldy & Sylvia Kruse, 2019. "Food Democracy from the Top Down? State-Driven Participation Processes for Local Food System Transformations towards Sustainability," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 68-80.
    3. Basil Bornemann & Sabine Weiland, 2019. "Empowering People—Democratising the Food System? Exploring the Democratic Potential of Food-Related Empowerment Forms," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 105-118.
    4. Valentin Amrhein & Sander Greenland & Blake McShane, 2019. "Scientists rise up against statistical significance," Nature, Nature, vol. 567(7748), pages 305-307, March.
    5. Vivien A. Schmidt, 2013. "Democracy and Legitimacy in the European Union Revisited: Input, Output and ‘Throughput’," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 61(1), pages 2-22, March.
    6. Joëlla van de Griend & Jessica Duncan & Johannes S. C. Wiskerke, 2019. "How Civil Servants Frame Participation: Balancing Municipal Responsibility With Citizen Initiative in Ede’s Food Policy," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 59-67.
    7. Basil Bornemann & Sabine Weiland, 2019. "Empowering People—Democratising the Food System? Exploring the Democratic Potential of Food-Related Empowerment Forms," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 105-118.
    8. Joëlla van de Griend & Jessica Duncan & Johannes S. C. Wiskerke, 2019. "How Civil Servants Frame Participation: Balancing Municipal Responsibility With Citizen Initiative in Ede’s Food Policy," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 59-67.
    9. Annelie Sieveking, 2019. "Food Policy Councils as Loci for Practising Food Democracy? Insights from the Case of Oldenburg, Germany," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 48-58.
    10. Annelie Sieveking, 2019. "Food Policy Councils as Loci for Practising Food Democracy? Insights from the Case of Oldenburg, Germany," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 48-58.
    11. Wendy Mendes, 2008. "Implementing Social and Environmental Policies in Cities: The Case of Food Policy in Vancouver, Canada," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(4), pages 942-967, December.
    12. Jana Baldy & Sylvia Kruse, 2019. "Food Democracy from the Top Down? State-Driven Participation Processes for Local Food System Transformations towards Sustainability," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 68-80.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Basil Bornemann & Sabine Weiland, 2019. "Empowering People—Democratising the Food System? Exploring the Democratic Potential of Food-Related Empowerment Forms," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 105-118.
    2. Cornelis Lay & Netra Eng, 2020. "State Regulations and Elitisation: A Study of Civil Society Elites in Indonesia and Cambodia," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(3), pages 97-108.
    3. Basil Bornemann & Sabine Weiland, 2019. "Editorial: New Perspectives on Food Democracy," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 1-7.
    4. Alban Hasson, 2019. "Building London’s Food Democracy: Assessing the Contributions of Urban Agriculture to Local Food Decision-Making," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 154-164.
    5. Joëlla van de Griend & Jessica Duncan & Johannes S. C. Wiskerke, 2019. "How Civil Servants Frame Participation: Balancing Municipal Responsibility With Citizen Initiative in Ede’s Food Policy," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 59-67.
    6. Michal Plaček & Cristina del Campo & Vladislav Valentinov & Gabriela Vaceková & Markéta Šumpíková & František Ochrana, 2022. "Gender Heterogeneity and Politics in Decision-Making About Green Public Procurement in the Czech Republic," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 10(3), pages 239-250.
    7. Annelie Sieveking, 2019. "Food Policy Councils as Loci for Practising Food Democracy? Insights from the Case of Oldenburg, Germany," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 48-58.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Karen Bassarab & Jill K. Clark & Raychel Santo & Anne Palmer, 2019. "Finding Our Way to Food Democracy: Lessons from US Food Policy Council Governance," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 32-47.
    2. Jana Baldy & Sylvia Kruse, 2019. "Food Democracy from the Top Down? State-Driven Participation Processes for Local Food System Transformations towards Sustainability," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 68-80.
    3. Basil Bornemann & Sabine Weiland, 2019. "Editorial: New Perspectives on Food Democracy," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 1-7.
    4. Basil Bornemann & Sabine Weiland, 2019. "Editorial: New Perspectives on Food Democracy," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 1-7.
    5. Jeroen J. L. Candel, 2022. "Power to the people? Food democracy initiatives’ contributions to democratic goods," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 39(4), pages 1477-1489, December.
    6. Alban Hasson, 2019. "Building London’s Food Democracy: Assessing the Contributions of Urban Agriculture to Local Food Decision-Making," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 154-164.
    7. Marta López Cifuentes & Christina Gugerell, 2021. "Food democracy: possibilities under the frame of the current food system," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 38(4), pages 1061-1078, December.
    8. Aintzira Oñederra-Aramendi & Mirene Begiristain-Zubillaga & Mamen Cuellar-Padilla, 2023. "Characterisation of food governance for alternative and sustainable food systems: a systematic review," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 11(1), pages 1-32, December.
    9. Jana Baldy & Sylvia Kruse, 2019. "Food Democracy from the Top Down? State-Driven Participation Processes for Local Food System Transformations towards Sustainability," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 68-80.
    10. Sara A. L. Smaal & Joost Dessein & Barend J. Wind & Elke Rogge, 2021. "Social justice-oriented narratives in European urban food strategies: Bringing forward redistribution, recognition and representation," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 38(3), pages 709-727, September.
    11. Annelie Sieveking, 2019. "Food Policy Councils as Loci for Practising Food Democracy? Insights from the Case of Oldenburg, Germany," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 48-58.
    12. Maurer, Moritz, 2025. "Wild Experiments? Restricting Narratives in Research on Alternative Food and Agriculture Networks," OSF Preprints u2tyv, Center for Open Science.
    13. Mark Tilzey, 2019. "Food Democracy as ‘Radical’ Food Sovereignty: Agrarian Democracy and Counter-Hegemonic Resistance to the Neo-Imperial Food Regime," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 202-213.
    14. Alban Hasson, 2019. "Building London’s Food Democracy: Assessing the Contributions of Urban Agriculture to Local Food Decision-Making," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 154-164.
    15. Maurer, Moritz, 2025. "Wild Experiments? Restricting Narratives in Research on Alternative Food and Agriculture Networks," OSF Preprints u2tyv_v1, Center for Open Science.
    16. Adanella Rossi & Mario Coscarello & Davide Biolghini, 2021. "(Re)Commoning Food and Food Systems. The Contribution of Social Innovation from Solidarity Economy," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-30, June.
    17. Julia Behringer & Peter H. Feindt, 2019. "How Shall We Judge Agri-Food Governance? Legitimacy Constructions in Food Democracy and Co-Regulation Discourses," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 119-130.
    18. Beate Friedrich & Sarah Hackfort & Miriam Boyer & Daniela Gottschlich, 2019. "Conflicts over GMOs and their Contribution to Food Democracy," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 165-177.
    19. Mercy B. DeMenno, 2019. "Technocracy, democracy, and public policy: An evaluation of public participation in retrospective regulatory review," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 13(3), pages 362-383, September.
    20. Joëlla van de Griend & Jessica Duncan & Johannes S. C. Wiskerke, 2019. "How Civil Servants Frame Participation: Balancing Municipal Responsibility With Citizen Initiative in Ede’s Food Policy," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 59-67.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:cog:poango:v7:y:2019:i:4:p:32-47. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: António Vieira or IT Department (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.cogitatiopress.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.