94471 - Food Economics & Policy

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students will acquire an understanding of the economic forces behind the functioning of food markets, as well as of the most important food policy instruments. Models and quantitative methods for the analysis of food systems and of the most relevant food policies will also be introduced to students. A special focus on the role of safety in the food market, risk behaviors and food safety policies will be provided.

Course contents

• Food supply and food demand: price, trade, technological progress
• The market for food safety
• Market failure and foodborne risks, asymmetric information and moral hazard
• Information economics and policy: the market for news
• Elements of behavioural economics: risk perception, risk attitudes and consumer behaviour under uncertainty
• A taxonomy of food policies: market vs. information measures

• Information policies and social marketing
• Fiscal policies: taxes and subsidies
• Regulations and food standards
• Trade measures and non-tariff barriers

• Quantitative policy analysis and empirical case studies: statistical and economic models for policy analysis and evaluation will be presented through applied case studies from the academic and grey literature

Readings/Bibliography

The course is based on lecture notes and chapters/articles provided through the e-learning platform.

Teaching methods

The course consists of a combination of theoretical lectures, applied case studies and quantitative tutorials.

Assessment methods

During the course, students will be provided with case studies from selected scientific articles and will be required to write an essay dealing with the economic and policy analysis.

For those students who do not deliver the essay, or fail, it will be possible to take an oral exam with multiple-choice and open-ended questions on the foundations of food economics and policy, and on the interpretation of a case study.

Teaching tools

This course provides a set of case studies on the economics and policy of food safety. The e-learning platform will enable access to interactive contents, data and case studies, Stata commands.

Office hours

See the website of Annalisa Stacchini