Neoliberalism and agri-food governance: Unequal power games and international trade
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5380/cg.v13i2.94174Keywords:
Development, Neoliberalism, Liberalization, Inequality, Trade.Abstract
The use of state support policies for financing and promoting economic development was an almost universal premise for solidifying the power structure that emerged in the 20th century. The political and economic landscape of the post-World War II era was heavily influenced by the pioneering efforts of the victorious capitalist powers, which contributed to both the shaping of a new liberal economic order and the establishment of an international governance system for food security. Through trade, the advancement of neoliberalism, and the creation of the WTO with its legal framework for agricultural issues, the maintenance of traditional privileges by pioneering powers persisted, as they continued to adopt protectionist policies even in a more restrictive neoliberal environment for the policy space of the signatory countries. Thus, the operationalization of a case study grounded in documentary analysis and literature review aims to explain how the formation of the international governance system for food security, particularly the agricultural regulation of the WTO, functioned almost as a means to maintain an unequal power structure where developing countries are hindered from replicating strategies to strengthen their agricultural sectors and promote food security.
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