the wicked problem of food security in eu policy formation
DESCRIPTION
Lecture given at University College Roosevelt in Middelburg (The Netherlands) on 25 April 2014, about 'the wicked problem of food security in EU policy formation'. Content: *What are wicked problems? *Why is food security a good example of a wicked problem? *How can this be observed in the EU's Common Agricultural Policy? *How does the European Commission deal with the wickedness of food security?TRANSCRIPT
The wicked problem of food security in EU policy formation
Jeroen Candel
25 April 2014, UCR Middelburg
About me
• Studied Public Governance in Utrecht• PhD Candidate ‘food security governance’ at
Public Administration and Policy group of Wageningen University
• Currently guest PhD at Antwerp Centre for Institutions and Multi-level Politics, UA
• Main focus: food security controversies in EU policy development
Structure of the lecture
• What are wicked problems?• Food security as a wicked problem
Short break
• Food security in the EU Common Agricultural policy
• How does the EU deal with the wickedness of food security?
Wicked problems: context
• Introduced by Rittel and Webber 1973• ideal of rational policy making: objective,
evidence based, professionals, and optimal solutions “the planning idea”, “makeability”
• “popular attack”: increasing societal scrutinity• Still: many problems solved
However:
• Some problems particularly stubborn• Cannot be solved in terms efficiency only• Involve wide range of values• Goal formulation proved difficult• “One of most intractable problems is defining
problems” and identifying actions
Wicked problems
• Paradigm science and engineering not applicable to problems of open societal systems
• These problems are inherently different• Tame vs. wicked problems• Ten properties
Properties wicked problems
1. No definitive formulation: is the problem!2. Have no stopping rule4. No immediate test of solution: consequences cannot
be predicted6. No enumerable set solutions: rely on poltical
judgment7. Unique8. Can be symptom of other problem9. Discrepancy can be explained in numerous ways Planner/expert also player in political game
Examples?
After Rittel & Webber
• Thinking engrained in Public Administration and Policy studies
• However: still many wicked problems approached as if they can be solved
• Particularly also in life sciences: climate change, sustainability, nature conservation, and food security
• Recent decade: what type of governance systems needed?
Food security
Food security defined as:
“all people, at all times, having physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life” (FAO 2003)
Availability, access, utilization, and stability
2007-2008 & 2010 food price crises
Solubility
Isn’t it just a matter of giving food to people?
Food security as a wicked problem
• What is the problem? Food production? Sustainability? Inequality? Trade barriers?
• High degrees uncertainty• Conflicting problem definitions and solutions• Cross-scale: short vs. long term, multi-level
governance, multi-sector Nobody is against ‘food security’, but what is
meant with it? And how to address it?
Big debate in Wageningen
Food security in the CAPCandel, J.J.L., Breeman, G.E., Stiller, S.J.,
Termeer, C.J.A.M. (2014) Disentangling the consensus frame of food security: the case of the Common Agricultural Policy reform debate. Food policy 44: 47-58
• CAP: main EU agricultural steering device• 2009-2013 reform• Convergence, greening, safety nets
Research puzzle
• Pervasiveness of food security arguments• What do actors mean when they invoke food
security? What claims do they make? • Analysis stakeholder input• Identification of 6 frames: cognitive and
communicative stories that actors use to make sense of the world
Productionist frame
• Produce more food (double in 2050)Stimulating production and productivity
• EU food security not self-evident
• Threats: volatility and dependence on imports
• Solutions: income support, same criteria for imports
Environmental frame
• Focus on negative effects intensive agriculture on environment
• Long-term perspective
• Problems: climate change, environmental degradation (soil, biodiversity, etc.)
• Greening, better targeting of support, change towards more plant-based diets
Development frame
• Focus on impact CAP on food security developing countries
• European vs. global food security
• Income support considered as core problem & negative socio-environmental impacts imports
• Solutions: eliminate trade-distorting measures, allow developing countries to protect their markets, policy coherence
Wickedness
• Various, sometimes conflicting problem definitions and solutions
• Today’s problems emerge as a result of trying to understand and solve yesterday’s problems
• Solubility? Highly political!
How do EU policy-makers deal with this?
Ongoing research
• Focus on European Commission• Interview round at DGs (Devco, Agri, MARE,
Trade, Envi, SG, ECHO, Sanco, etc.) in Spring 2014
• To what extent is Commission capable of dealing wisely with the wicked problem of food security in its policy formation process?
Theoretical debate
“the Commission is highly ‘stove-piped’, its administrative code is burdensome, it is resource-poor, and it is heavily dependent for its success on its relationship with other EU institutions. And still it is tasked with trying to solve ‘wicked problems’, whose very nature makes it unlikely that they can be solved by administration that strictly observe their own administrative code, especially one as cumbersome as the under which the Commission operates.”
(Kassim et al. 2013)
Counter argument
• Many developments that are aimed at enhancing coordination: stronger role SG, impact assessments, inter-service consultations
• Kassim et al.: personal networks matter!
In depth study of case food security
Preliminary findings
• Fragmented approach (not necessarily bad!)• Approached as technical excercise, but highly
political!• Services have own views, but cooperate
relatively well• Many demands and views: balancing act• High dependence on Parliament and Council
Preliminary conclusions
• Formal structures and procedures both hinder and enable governance of wicked problems
• Informal processes ‘oil in the machine’
• Steering capacaties Commission limited
Looking back
• Many policy problems can be characterized as wicked
• Food security is a good example of a wicked problem
• FS in the EU is characterized by conflicting frames (CAP reform)
• The wickedness of FS poses specific challenges to the Commission, to which it is only partly able to respond
