Political Economy of Food

This module enables you to:

• Interpret the complexity of the interactions between political activity and the structures of the food economy at local, regional, national and international levels.
• Assess the effects of these interactions upon society and its members.
• Identify the impacts of global processes and multi-level governance upon the nature of the agro-food system and upon specific agricultural and food commodities and differing parts of the food system.

Who is it for?

This course is for anyone working in the area of food, or who wants to understand the political-economic complexities of the food sector. You must be keen to learn how food politics works and, if you already work in the sector, how your work fits into the food system as a whole.

Timetable

*Term 2 2026-7 (Provisional dates) *

Jan: Mondays 11, 18 (online) and 25 (online) January 2027
Feb: Mondays 1 (online), 8, 15 and 22 February 2027
Mar: Mondays 1, 8, 15 and 22 March 2027

The history of agricultural commodities such as sugar, coffee and grains, is both long and international in character.

• But how are contemporary processes of global integration transforming the organisation of agro-food systems?
• How are these world-scale forces mediated and resisted at the national and local levels?
• What are the forms of governance that shape and regulate the modern food economy?
• What dynamics and which players are driving food supply chains and what developments are taking place at different stages within the food system (e.g. at farm, factory, retailing, and consumption)?
• How are hi-tech (e.g. genetic modification) and alternative technologies (e.g. organic agriculture) affecting the food system?

This module seeks to understand the modern food system from these perspectives and give students the skills and tools to think through these important topics. The module aims to enable you to:

• Interpret the complexity of the interactions between political activity and the structures of the food economy at local, regional, national and international levels.
• Assess the effects of these interactions upon society and its members.
• Identify the impacts of global processes and multi-level governance upon the nature of the agro-food system and upon specific agricultural and food commodities and differing parts of the food system.

The current main lectures are titled:

• Power and Governance - a toolbox for political economy
• Mapping Food Value Chains
• The industrialisation of food
• Corporate Power and Responsibility
• Food as power: democracy and control
• Global trade versus Alternative Food Systems
• Global food diplomacy, gastro-diplomacy,  gastro-nationalism and soft power
• Power and Gender
• Power over Nature: From farming to biotechnology

Wider content outline

The module will contain some or all of the following topics:

• International food regimes and agro-food systems. Industrialisation and agro-food systems. Agro-food systems and the impact of globalisation.
• Fault lines in contemporary food systems.
• Food supply chain dynamics and power relationships.
• Trends in specific stages of the food system, such as in growing, manufacture/processing, retailing and catering, and their interrelationship.
• The international regulation and governance of food and the role of international institutions.
• Impacts of technology on the food system, including hi-tech (e.g. biotechnology) compared to low technology (e.g. organic).
• Case studies analysing aspects of modern food systems in relation to theories from the political economy of food, looking at commodities (e.g. sugar, wheat and grain, bananas etc.) as case studies of contemporary food system dynamics.

On successful completion of this module, you will be expected to be able to:

Knowledge and understanding:

• Understand, identify and illustrate the key features of the modern food system.
• Critically assess the contemporary dynamics in the food supply chain with reference to specific examples.

Skills:

• Synthesise and critically review academic literature concerning the development of agro-food systems and the political economy of food for its insights and its limitations.
• Conduct a literature search and review material, both electronically and in hard copy, and analyse and reflect upon that process and the learning process as a whole.
• Access and select empirical evidence in relation to a selected food commodity and communicate the policy implications of this research.
• Integrate the food systems approach to a specific commodity case study.

Values and Attitudes:

• Give due respect and attention to the diversity of values and interests in food matters.
• Be sympathetic to the pursuit of the public good in the analysis of food’s political and economic role.

This module’s contact hours will be delivered using a number of different approaches. As an example, you may have a combination of in-person sessions (i.e. face to face on campus), and/or online synchronous sessions (participants are engaged at the same time online) and online asynchronous guided activities (you need to plan time to engage with these so you are prepared for the in person and synchronous sessions. These may include viewing recorded lectures and/or other online resources, reading materials, undertaking quizzes, completing exercises and chatting on forums).

In addition to these teaching delivery approaches, you will undertake your own independent study, which may involve wider reading, independent research, skills practice and preparation for assessment. Please see this module’s Moodle page and/or handbook for further information

The assessment consists of two written assignments. The first is an essay outline and the second is the essay itself. Students will choose a particular case study, under the direction of the module leader and will produce an in-depth analysis demonstrating their knowledge of the course content.

First assignment: 1,500 words maximum

Second assignment: 3,500 words maximum.

Learning Routes

This module has two routes namely, "CPD for attendance only" and "CPD for credits":

1. CPD “for attendance only” route: for students that wish to take this module as attendance only, this will grant you access to all lectures and online learning materials on Moodle. However, this route does not include the assessments, therefore you will not achieve any academic credits upon completion. A 25% discount is applied to the module fee. You will also receive a certificate of attendance at the end of the academic term.

2. CPD “for credits” route (Attendance & Assessment): for students that wish to take this module with assessments, this route will grant you access to all the lectures and online learning materials on Moodle. Upon successful completion of the assessment, you will have achieved the respective academic credits, as per individual module (there will range from 15 to 30 credits). No discount is applied to the module and the full fee will need to be paid.

For attendance only: 25% discount applied to the full fee (Please note: fees for overseas students will be a different rate, as per original fees on website)

For credit: (Attendance & Assessment): Full fees apply, as per individual module.

This course is provided by the School of Health & Medical Sciences.

Credits

This course is worth 30 credits toward eligible programmes.

English requirements

Additionally, if your first language is not English, one of the following is required:

• A first degree from a UK university
• A first degree from an overseas institution recognised by City, University of London as providing adequate evidence of proficiency in the English language, for example, from institutions from Australia, Canada or the United States of America.
• International English Language Test Service (IELTS) a score of 7.0 is required with no subtest below 7.0
• Pearson Test of English (Academic) score 72 required
• TOEFL 100 overall with 24 in Writing, 20 in Listening, 19 Reading and 20 Speaking
• Other evidence of proficiency in the English language, which satisfies the board of studies concerned, including registration with your professional regulator.

Indicative Reading List

Bonanno, A., Sam Houston, S. and Busch, L. (2015). Handbook of the International Political Economy of Agriculture and Food. Edward Elgar. Clapp, J., Desmarais, A., Margulis, M. (eds) (2015). Special Issue of Canadian Food Studies: ‘Mapping the Global Food Landscape’, Vol 2, No 2.

Clapp, J. (2012) Food. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Lang, T. and Heasman, M. (2015). Food Wars: The Global Battle for Mouths, Minds and Markets. Routledge.

Hernández, R., Martínez-Piva, J. M. and Mulder, N. (eds) (2014). Global value chains and world trade: Prospects and challenges for Latin America, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Santiago, Chile.

Howard, P. H. (2016). Concentration and Power in the Food System: Who Controls What We Eat? Bloomsbury Academic. McMichael, P. (2012). Development and Social Change: A global perspective, 5th edition. Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge Press. Morgan, K., Marsden, T. and Murdoch, J. (2006) Worlds of Food: Place, Power and Provenance in the Food Chain. Oxford: Oxford University Press