Policy Coalitions in Food Systems Transformation

Abstract

Abstract This chapter analyzes three types of contemporary coalitions for food systems transformation. First, vertical coalitions encompass the range of actors within a particular food value chain; how they coalesce or fracture often depends on the policy instrument under consideration and where in the value chain the policy intervention is most proximate. Second, cross-issue coalitions include stakeholders whose collective interests extend beyond traditional concerns with costs and profitability to include food safety, the environment, and nutrition. Third, transnational coalitions include allies that span both domestic and international members. Such coalitions may be aimed at influencing food policy dynamics at the global scale, or they may draw on international discourses and resources to shift domestic policy. The chapter concludes by highlighting several research gaps, including which modalities of coalition mobilization are most efficacious, whether and how coalition size affects policy influence, and opportunities for coalition influence in more restrictive political settings.