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The impact of food and economic crises on diet and nutrition

Author

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  • Ralitza Dimova
  • Ira N. Gang
  • Monnet B. P. Gbakou
  • Daniel Hoffman

Abstract

Skyrocketing staple food prices in combination with falling incomes around the world raised serious concerns among policy makers, media and the public at large over the past few years. We rigorously explore the dietary and nutritional implications of such shocks in a before, during and after manner. We find not only a tendency of households to reallocate their consumption baskets during a crisis, but also a dramatic change in the income and price elasticities of demand for both food and nutrients. Our results challenge the implicit assumption of relatively low and invariable price and income elasticities of demand for food and nutrition in the existing literature and have potentially important policy implications.

Suggested Citation

  • Ralitza Dimova & Ira N. Gang & Monnet B. P. Gbakou & Daniel Hoffman, 2012. "The impact of food and economic crises on diet and nutrition," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series 17512, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    • Handle: RePEc:bwp:bwppap:17512
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Nadia Shabnam & Fabio Gaetano Santeramo & Zahid Asghar & Antonio Seccia, 2016. "The Impact of Food Price Crises on the Demand for Nutrients in Pakistan," Journal of South Asian Development, , vol. 11(3), pages 305-327, December.
    3. Sandoval M, Luis A. & Carpio, Carlos E., 2020. "The nutritional impact of policies: reduced form models versus consumer demand systems," 2020 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, Kansas City, Missouri 304215, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    4. Pierre-Emmanuel Darpeix, 2019. "Literature review on the consequences of food price spikes and price volatility," PSE Working Papers hal-02072329, HAL.
    5. Pierre-Emmanuel Darpeix, 2019. "Literature review on the consequences of food price spikes and price volatility," Working Papers hal-02072329, HAL.

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