Global organic agriculture policy-making through standards as an organizational field: when institutional dynamics meet entrepreneurs

Schwindenhammer, Sandra

doi:10.1080/13501763.2017.1334086

Cited by 35 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Secondly, environmental and other interest groups are continuing to draw attention to this issue, and at a certain point policy-makers will have to react. Whereas environmentalists demand a complete ban on glyphosate, farmers' associations highlight the chemical's value for their industry; while there is a divide between organic and conventional farmers [77], the latter account for the largest share of agriculture in EU member states and continue to rely heavily on glyphosate. Thirdly, a potential ban on the substance would provide a business opportunity for the producers of alternative products, and they will consequently strive to keep the glyphosate debate on the political agenda.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Case of ‘Muddling Through’? The Politics of Renewing Glyphosate Authorization in the European Union

2019

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Between 2012 and 2017, the European Commission struggled to achieve the renewal of glyphosate, an active ingredient of some broad-spectrum herbicides. As indicated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the chemical kills or suppresses all plant types; when applied at lower rates, it is a plant-growth regulator and desiccant. Glyphosate is used worldwide for agricultural and non-agricultural purposes. Once uncontroversial, new scientific evidence concerning the potential hazards of the substance has sparked a considerable debate in public and political spheres. In light of this sustained controversy, it came as a surprise when a qualified majority of European Union member states voted in favor of the Commission’s proposal to renew the approval of glyphosate for another five years. How was this outcome reached after many ‘no opinion’ votes? How are the member states dealing with the authorization’s renewal? Relying on document analyses and process tracing, we show in this study that the aforementioned renewal was attained due to a change in position on the part of German delegates, who voted in favor of the proposal instead of abstaining. By examining how the member states are addressing the renewal of the authorization, we found that both the countries that opposed renewal and those that supported it are now taking steps to reduce the use—or preparing the phaseout—of glyphosate. Due to domestic political considerations, however, the realization of these steps has so far proven to be difficult.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Case of ‘Muddling Through’? The Politics of Renewing Glyphosate Authorization in the European Union

2019

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“…Recent empirical work suggests that co-governance, though mostly cooperative, can likewise be competitive or conflictual, and that the relationships between public and private actors can change over time [15]. For example, several empirical cases have revealed that private standards are sometimes transformed into public standards, and vice versa [26,27,28]. The reasons why private actors get involved in the governance of common goods are manifold: private actors may assume a leading role in the case of government failure or in case policymakers fail to address societal concerns or interests at all.…”

Section: Theoretical Background and Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Market-Based Governance in Farm Animal Welfare—A Comparative Analysis of Public and Private Policies in Germany and France

Vogeler

2019

Animals

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The intensification of livestock production and the focus on economic gains of agricultural policy have resulted in animal welfare related challenges. In many countries the societal concern for the welfare of farmed animals is increasing. Whereas policymakers on the European Union’s level and in EU member states have passed specific farm animal protection laws, the existing policies do not always guarantee the welfare of farmed animals. At the same time, the engagement of market actors in the field is increasing. This article explores the development of public and private policies in two countries with very different levels of regulation. By conducting a comparative analysis of public and private policies in Germany and France, the findings illustrate that, although they have different starting points, retailers in both countries are getting increasingly involved in farm animal welfare. In addition, there is evidence that governmental policies are shifting from regulatory to voluntary approaches in cooperation with the private sector. Given that in both countries these dynamics are a very recent development, it remains to be seen whether governmental actors will (re-)assume the lead in the field, whether they will engage in cooperation with private actors, or whether they will leave the task of agricultural restructuring to the market.

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“…Such an approach has already been applied to global food issues. One example is Schwindenhammer's (2017) analysis of global organic agricultural policymaking through standards, where she identifies distinct phases of institutional development shaped by IOs, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and businesses.…”

Section: An Organizational Field Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolving Order? Inter-Organizational Relations in the Organizational Field of Food Security Governance in Côte d’Ivoire

Heucher

2019

Forum for Development Studies

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Global food security governance is fraught with fragmentation, overlap and complexity. While calls for coordination and coherence abound, establishing an inter-organizational order at this level seems to remain difficult. While the emphasis in the literature has so far been on the global level, we know less about dynamics of inter-organizational relations in food security governance at the country level, and empirical studies are lacking. It is this research gap the article seeks to address by posing the following research question: In how far does inter-organizational order develop in the organizational field of food security governance at the country level? Theoretically and conceptually, the article draws on sociological institutionalism, and on work on inter-organizational relations. Empirically, the article conducts an exploratory case study of the organizational field of food security governance in Côte d'Ivoire, building on a qualitative content analysis of organizational documents covering a period from 2003 to 2016 and semistructured interviews with staff of international organizations from 2016. The article demonstrates that not all of the developments attributed to food security governance at the global level play out in the same way at the country level. Rather, in the case of Côte d'Ivoire there are signs for a certain degree of coherence between IOs in the field of food security governance and even for analbeit limiteddivision of labour. However, this only holds for specific dimensions of the inter-organizational order and appears to be subject to continuous contestation and reinterpretation under the surface.

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Global organic agriculture policy-making through standards as an organizational field: when institutional dynamics meet entrepreneurs

Cited by 35 publications

References 39 publications

A Case of ‘Muddling Through’? The Politics of Renewing Glyphosate Authorization in the European Union

A Case of ‘Muddling Through’? The Politics of Renewing Glyphosate Authorization in the European Union

Market-Based Governance in Farm Animal Welfare—A Comparative Analysis of Public and Private Policies in Germany and France

Evolving Order? Inter-Organizational Relations in the Organizational Field of Food Security Governance in Côte d’Ivoire

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