Contribution in an anthology

Appeared in: Agriculture and food in the 21st century : economic, environmental and social challenges ; Festschrift on the occasion of Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. P. Michael Schmitz 65th birthday

Editor list: Hartmann, M; Schmitz, PM; Hesse, JW

Publication year: 2014

Pages: 61-88

ISBN: 978-3-631-64771-4

eISBN: 978-3-653-98877-2

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.3726/978-3-653-03559-9

Abstract: 

In agricultural economics, researchers have contributed over decades to the policy dialogue in very different ways. They provided theoretical and empirical policy analyses, they made policy recommendations in scientific advisory groups and sometimes they were engaged in their role as public economists to defend the public interest. Recently, researchers have been challenged by the request developed in economics and in administration to elaborate evidence-based analysis and advice. According to the concept, it should be analysed, whether the instruments fulfil the objectives defined by politicians and, if yes, at lowest costs. Impact analyses on the effectiveness and efficiency of policies ought to be performed with the econometric approach to program evaluation based on natural experiments. We show that this trend is a major challenge in the case of “new” policy instruments targeted at food quality or health. The protection of geographically differentiated foods as well as food taxes are not yet evidence-based in many ways. We argue that evidence-based policy analysis is to become a most important part of the toolbox, but agricultural economists should continue to go beyond it by adding questions, objectives and instruments that are not predefined by policymakers.

Harvard Citation style: Herrmann, R., Schröck, R. and Staudigel, M. (2014) From Policy Analysis to Evidence-based Food Policy Recommendations: Some Thoughts on „New“ Policy Instruments, in Hartmann, M., Schmitz, P. and Hesse, J. (eds.) Agriculture and food in the 21st century : economic, environmental and social challenges ; Festschrift on the occasion of Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. P. Michael Schmitz 65th birthday. Frankfrut am Main: Peter Lang Verlag, pp. 61-88. https://doi.org/10.3726/978-3-653-03559-9

APA Citation style: Herrmann, R., Schröck, R., & Staudigel, M. (2014). From Policy Analysis to Evidence-based Food Policy Recommendations: Some Thoughts on „New“ Policy Instruments. In Hartmann, M., Schmitz, P., & Hesse, J. (Eds.), Agriculture and food in the 21st century : economic, environmental and social challenges ; Festschrift on the occasion of Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. P. Michael Schmitz 65th birthday (pp. 61-88). Peter Lang Verlag. https://doi.org/10.3726/978-3-653-03559-9