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The Political Economy of Food Price Policy in South Africa

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  • Johann F. Kirsten

Abstract

This paper analyses the food price trends in South Africa during two periods of rapid food price inflation that occurred in the decade 2000-10 and unpacks the political reaction and policy responses to the food price crises in these two periods. Based on personal recollection of events during the past decade, interviews with former politicians and state officials, as well as a thorough investigation of relevant cabinet and government documents it is concluded that agricultural and food policy in South Africa remained largely unchanged with no controls or regulations introduced.

Suggested Citation

  • Johann F. Kirsten, 2012. "The Political Economy of Food Price Policy in South Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2012-102, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2012-102
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    File URL: https://www.wider.unu.edu/sites/default/files/wp2012-102.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Dorrit Posel & Michael Rogan, 2012. "Gendered trends in poverty in the post-apartheid period, 1997--2006," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(1), pages 97-113, March.
    2. Abidoye, Babatunde O. & Marlene, Labuschagne, 2012. "The Transmission of World Maize Price to South African Maize Market: A Threshold Cointegration Approach," Working Papers 206515, University of Pretoria, Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development.
    3. Julian May, 2012. "Smoke and mirrors? The science of poverty measurement and its application," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(1), pages 63-75, March.
    4. Murray Leibbrandt & Ingrid Woolard & Arden Finn & Jonathan Argent, 2010. "Trends in South African Income Distribution and Poverty since the Fall of Apartheid," OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers 101, OECD Publishing.
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    1. Abidoye, Babatunde O. & Marlene, Labuschagne, 2012. "The Transmission of World Maize Price to South African Maize Market: A Threshold Cointegration Approach," Working Papers 206515, University of Pretoria, Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development.
    2. Shane Bryan, 2013. "A Cacophony of Policy Responses: Evidence from Fourteen Countries During the 2007/08 Food Price Crisis," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2013-029, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    3. Giorgio d’Agostino & Margherita Scarlato & Silvia Napolitano, 2018. "Do Cash Transfers Promote Food Security? The Case of the South African Child Support Grant," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 27(4), pages 430-456.
    4. Derrill D. Watson, 2013. "Political Economy Synthesis: the Food Policy Crisis," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2013-050, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    5. Bryan, Shane, 2013. "A Cacophony of Policy Responses: Evidence from Fourteen Countries During the 2007/08 Food Price Crisis," WIDER Working Paper Series 029, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    6. Markus Arlindo Monteiro & Brent Damian Jammer, 2024. "Price Dynamics in South African Agriculture: A Study of Cross-Commodity Spillovers between Grain and Livestock Markets," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-24, April.
    7. Watson, Derrill D., 2013. "Political Economy Synthesis: the Food Policy Crisis," WIDER Working Paper Series 050, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    8. McKay, Andy & Tarp, Finn, 2014. "Distributional impacts of the 2008 global food price spike in Vietnam," WIDER Working Paper Series 030, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    9. Francesco Burchi & Margherita Scarlato & Giorgio d'Agostino, 2018. "Addressing Food Insecurity in Sub‐Saharan Africa: The Role of Cash Transfers," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 10(4), pages 564-589, December.
    10. Babatunde O. Abidoye & Marlene Labuschagne, 2014. "The transmission of world maize price to South African maize market: a threshold cointegration approach," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 45(4), pages 501-512, July.
    11. Anne Marie Thow & Stephen Greenberg & Mafaniso Hara & Sharon Friel & Andries duToit & David Sanders, 2018. "Improving policy coherence for food security and nutrition in South Africa: a qualitative policy analysis," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 10(4), pages 1105-1130, August.
    12. Andy McKay & Finn Tarp, 2014. "Distributional Impacts of the 2008 Global Food Price Spike in Vietnam," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2014-030, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    13. Aye, Goodness C., 2016. "Causality between Oil Price and South Africa's Food Price: Time Varying Approach - Relazione di causalità tra prezzo del petrolio e pr ezzo dei prodotti alimentari in Sud Africa: un approccio time var," Economia Internazionale / International Economics, Camera di Commercio Industria Artigianato Agricoltura di Genova, vol. 69(3), pages 193-212.

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    Keywords

    Food supply;

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