Deck 9: Governing Agriculture: Public Policy and Private Governance, Elizabeth Ransom

Question 1

1) Governance of the food system aims to control the actions of

A) humans.
B) animals, seed, disease, pathogens and pests.
C) humans as well as animals, seed, disease, pathogens and pests.
D) formal actions but informal practices.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

2) Food safety laws at the local, state, national and international levels are examples of

A) formal governance.
B) informal governance.
C) neoliberalism.
D) the shift from government to governance.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

3) Neoliberal reforms seek to

A) increase government regulations of food and agriculture.
B) promote national food security.
C) reduce the role of government in regulating food and agriculture, and promote free trade.
D) increase formal governance of food and agriculture by the government.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

4) Which of the following is a long-standing tension in the governance of food?

A) Market-based governance vs. governmental regulation
B) Protecting people vs. freedom of choice
C) Blemish-free produce vs. ugly produce
D) Formal vs. informal governance

Question 5

5) The shift from governments to governance entails

A) deregulation of food and agriculture.
B) an increase in private actors regulating food and agriculture.
C) increased governmental regulation of food and agriculture.
D) a shift from formal to informal governance of food and agriculture.

Question 6

6) Which of the following is the primary purpose of the World Trade Organization?

A) Promoting free trade
B) Promoting environmental sustainably
C) Promoting national-level economic growth
D) Global regulation of food safety

Question 7

7) Which of the following is NOT a common barrier to trade in food and agriculture goods?

A) Tariffs
B) Rules of origin
C) Sanitary and phytosanitary regulations
D) The inability to transport food and agricultural products long distances

Question 8

8) The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is an example of a

A) non-governmental organization.
B) regional trade agreement.
C) rules of origin.
D) sanitary and phytosanitary regulations.

Question 9

8) One consequence of NAFTA for Mexican farmers was

A) the availability of new land for cultivation.
B) a decline in tomato farms due to the influx of "ugly fruit."
C) a decline in corn prices due to the influx of U.S. exports of subsidized crops, which caused many small-scale indigenous corn farmers to leave farming.
D) an increase in on farming incomes.

Question 10

9) One of the biggest roadblocks in developing WTO agreements on agriculture has been

A) complaints by countries in the Global South that their farmers cannot compete with U.S. and European farmers, because of the subsidies U.S. and European governments provide.
B) complaints by the U.S. and European countries that they cannot compete with farmers in the Global South because of low farm worker wages.
C) complaints by the U.S. and European countries that they cannot compete with farmers in the Global South because of unfair subsidies by their governments.
D) people prefer to eat food grown locally.

Question 11

10. Over time, the number of regional trade agreements for agriculture has proliferated. ?

Question 12

11) Quasi-public entities, such as trade associations and professional societies,

A) influence government food and agriculture regulations.
B) have gained power with the shift from government to governance.
C) affect the food people eat through their standards and certifications.
D) All of the above

Question 13

12) Large food retailers such as Walmart

A) are becoming less common as more people now prefer local markets.
B) are still beholden to large food processors.
C) increasingly dictate the terms of exchange with suppliers and with farmers.
D) absorb the increased costs associated with producing high quality and sustainable foods, rather than push the costs on to suppliers.

Question 14

13) In today's food system, ______ are the primary gatekeepers to consumer markets.

A) farmers
B) large retailers such as Walmart
C) branded food companies such as Heinz
D) celebrity chefs

Question 15

14) Large retailers now increasingly develop their own private standards for the food that they sell. The increased costs associated with such standards are generally borne by

A) farmers.
B) consumers, in the form of higher prices.
C) Walmart, who absorbs the loss.
D) all supply chain actors equally.

Question 16

14) An increasingly common response to the negative environmental, labor, and social impacts associated with the agriculture and food system is

A) the Green Revolution.
B) increased governmental regulation.
C) NGO certification.
D) neoliberal reforms.

Question 17

15) While there are several NGO-led certification programs for sustainable beef, which of the following is a factor that limits their effectiveness?

A) Lack of interest by farmers
B) Lack of consumer demand for sustainable beef
C) Refusal by large retailers to sell sustainable beef
D) All of the above

Question 18

16) Public goods such as environmental sustainability will generally only coincide with corporate interests

A) with pressure from government regulation and/or NGO campaigns.
B) if there are economic incentives.
C) if consumers demand it.
D) All of the above.

Question 19

17) Compared to retailer governance, NGO governance tends to be

A) more powerful.
B) less powerful.
C) equally powerful.
D) more stringent.

Question 20

18) While localized forms of governance have made modest gains, to contribute to more substantial changes in the food system they must

A) focus on commodity chain analysis.
B) shift all their focus to pressuring governments for stronger regulations.
C) connect with the other forms of governance.
D) narrow their focus to a single cause.

Question 21

19) Efforts to increase the sustainability of the Chesapeake Bay are an example of

A) government regulation.
B) a multidimensional governance approach.
C) informal governance.
D) NGO governance.

Question 22

20) Governance of food and agriculture is

A) technical.
B) political.
C) technical and political.
D) economic.

Question 23

1. In addition to formal governance, there is also informal governance of food and agriculture. Define informal governance and provide an example of it in food and agriculture.

Question 24

2. What do sociologists mean when they say there has been a shift from governments to governance in food and agriculture?

Question 25

3. Increasingly, global retailers are "the primary gatekeeper to consumer markets" in much of the world. What do sociologists mean by this and what have been the implications for consumers?

Question 26

1. The implementation of neoliberal ideas has significantly affected governance. Write an essay that examines the effects of neoliberalism on the governance of food and agriculture. In answering, first, explain the idea of neoliberalism. Second, discuss how the implementation of neoliberal policies has affected food and agriculture. Third, examine how the neoliberalism has affected who governs.

Question 27

2. A key feature of food governance today is the shift from governments to governance. Write an essay that examines this shift and its implications. In answering, first, explain what sociologists mean by a shift from governments to governance. Second, using the case of supermarket governance or nongovernmental organization led sustainability governance, discuss the ways that the shift from government to governance is taking place in food system. Finally, discuss the implications of this shift in governance for consumers and farmers.