The Globalization of Food Security: the role of preferences and framing in setting the food security agenda

Abstract

For any policy problem, the way it is framed has the potential to directly influence the types of solutions decision-makers choose. The challenge seems to come when there are multiple frames for a single policy problem. Food security is one such policy problem; it has multiple frames through which we can understand the challenges and opportunities. This research attempts to understand how the framings of food security as a global or local problem impact the types of choices we make in order to address this complex issue and how the policy agenda may better reflect the preferences of the public. This thesis reviewed the literature on choice architecture, sets up a behavioural experiment that presents multiple choices to a population drawn from the lay public and evaluates the impacts of different frames (local-global; certain-uncertain; immediate-long-term) on decisions. We found that respondents generally were not motivated to allocate funds differently when they were distributing their own money and public funds but we found they were more inclined to support global, long-term initiatives and local, short-term ventures. These allocations lead to the conclusion that individuals may frame chronic, ongoing food insecurity as a global issue, which is best addressed by employing larger scale integrated solutions such as research and development projects, and see local food insecurity as a temporary problem that can be alleviated through community based short term projects like food banks.