11,286 research outputs found
The global food crisis : supply and demand revisited
This study aims to show that the volatility in food prices between 2008 and 2011 cannot be explained merely by the market fundamentals of demand and supply. While global changes in demand and supply are bringing about radical changes to the food equation, evidence shows that market failure in the world grain market aggravated the problem. Excess liquidity, brought about by monetary growth policies after the subprime crises
and financial meltdown in 2008, has stimulated speculation and hoarding. Strong incentives for financial operators to find better returns in places like the commodities market is attested by the six-fold increase in the number of âderivativesâ contracts made
between 2002 and 2008. Furthermore, agriculture is one of the most heavily subsidized, protected, and distorted markets in the world. This is a key reason behind a decade long lack of progress in the Doha Round of the World Trade Organization (WTO). This
study investigates the hypothesis that speculative activities are a major source of volatility in the agricultural commodities market and that this has significantly contributed to price inflation. It also explores Maltaâs possible involvement in food commodity
speculation, albeit on a small scale.peer-reviewe
Book review: The books that inspired Natalya Vince: âDomination and the Arts of Resistance helped me think about the complex nature of encounters between âthe powerfulâ and âthe powerlessâ in Algeriaâ
The opportunity to contribute to this blog got me thinking about which books, recognisable across disciplines, or at least across fields, have shaped me as a historian
- âŠ