92 research outputs found
Getting the best of both worlds? Linking CAPRI and GTAP for an economywide assessment of agriculture
Documentation of model components EXPAMOD and CAPRI
ISBN no.: 978-90-8585-129-
Focus and Application Options
LIAISE Policy Brief No. 5 on "Scientific tools in Europe: focus and
application options" has just been published. Policy Impact Assessment (IA)
has been an obligatory procedure in the legislative process within the EU
since 2002. It has to identify the likely impacts on sustainable development
(specifically the social, environmental and economic impacts) of all major
policy strategies and instruments prior to actual implementation. The link
between IA and sustainable development is rooted in the 2006 renewed
Sustainable Development Strategy. IA also provides the legal basis to feed
scientific evidence into the policy process and to base policy-making on
scientifically robust tools and results. In line with the recognition of the
importance of IA for sound sustainable policies, the EC (DG Research and
Innovation) has funded through the Framework Programmes (FP) 6 and 7 research
supporting knowledge creation in this field. This policy brief presents an
analysis of tools developed in the context of FP6 and FP7 undertaken by the
LIAISE project. This assessment focused on the following interests of IA
practitioners as tool users: Which policy area(s) do the tools address? Which
impact area(s) are covered by the tools? Which jurisdictional level(s) can the
tools be applied at? How can the tools be categorized? There exists a wide
variety of tools that comprises: Quantitative and qualitative tools, such as
models, scenarios, multi-criteria analysis and participatory tools, Tool
components, such as indicators, databases and comprehensive analytic methods,
Evaluation frameworks, toolboxes and platforms etc. serving as a higher level
system for tool selection or tool linkage. These results are based on an
analysis of 203 research projects designing tools for IA funded in FP6 and 7.
The results shall contribute to addressing the science-policy interface of IA
by identifying possible challenges for tool users and tool suppliers with
respect to tool development and selection
Paying the price for environmentally sustainable and healthy EU diets
We review consumer-side interventions and their effectiveness to support a transition to healthier and more environmentally sustainable diets and identify taxes/subsidies as relevant instruments. To quantify the scope of necessary tax levels to achieve dietary recommendations on EU average, we apply three established economic models. Our business-as-usual food intake projections stress the need for policy intervention to resolve continued divergence from nutrition guidelines. Our findings suggest that food group specific taxes are effective in reaching nutrition and environmental sustainability targets. However, considerable tax levels are required to achieve the targeted consumption shifts, inducing a discussion about alternative policy designs and current model limitations. A coherent policy package is suggested to approach nutrition and sustainability objectives simultaneously
Assessing Sustainable Food and Nutrition Security of the EU Food System—An Integrated Approach
Steering the EU food system towards a sustainability transformation requires a vast and actionable knowledge base available to a range of public and private actors. Few have captured this complexity by assessing food systems from a multi-dimensional and multi-level perspective, which would include (1) nutrition and diet, environmental and economic outcomes together with social equity dimensions and (2) system interactions across country, EU and global scales. This paper addresses this gap in food systems research and science communication by providing an integrated analytical approach and new ways to communicate this complexity outside science. Based on a transdisciplinary science approach with continuous stakeholder input, the EU Horizon2020 project ‘Metrics, Models and Foresight for European SUStainable Food And Nutrition Security’ (SUSFANS) developed a five-step process: Creating a participatory space; designing a conceptual framework of the EU food system; developing food system performance metrics; designing a modelling toolbox and developing a visualization tool. The Sustainable Food and Nutrition-Visualizer, designed to communicate complex policy change-impacts and trade-off questions, enables an informed debate about trade-offs associated with options for change among food system actors as well as in the policy making arena. The discussion highlights points for further research related to indicator development, reach of assessment models, participatory processes and obstacles in science communication
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