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?
The Wicked Problem of Food Security in EU Policy Formation
1. The wicked problem of food
security in EU policy formation
Jeroen Candel
25 April 2014, UCR Middelburg
2. About me
โข Studied Public Governance in Utrecht
โข PhD Candidate โfood security governanceโ at
Public Administration and Policy group of
Wageningen University
โข Currently guest PhD at Antwerp Centre for
Institutions and Multi-level Politics, UA
โข Main focus: food security controversies in EU
policy development
3. Structure of the lecture
โข What are wicked problems?
โข Food security as a wicked problem
Short break
โข Food security in the EU Common Agricultural
policy
โข How does the EU deal with the wickedness of
food security?
4. Wicked problems: context
โข Introduced by Rittel and Webber 1973
โข ideal of rational policy making: objective,
evidence based, professionals, and optimal
solutions ๏ โthe planning ideaโ,
โmakeabilityโ
โข โpopular attackโ: increasing societal scrutinity
โข Still: many problems solved
5. However:
โข Some problems particularly stubborn
โข Cannot be solved in terms efficiency only
โข Involve wide range of values
โข Goal formulation proved difficult
โข โOne of most intractable problems is defining
problemsโ and identifying actions
6. Wicked problems
โข Paradigm science and engineering not
applicable to problems of open societal
systems
โข These problems are inherently different
โข Tame vs. wicked problems
โข Ten properties
7. Properties wicked problems
1. No definitive formulation: is the problem!
2. Have no stopping rule
4. No immediate test of solution: consequences
cannot be predicted
6. No enumerable set solutions: rely on poltical
judgment
7. Unique
8. Can be symptom of other problem
9. Discrepancy can be explained in numerous ways
๏ Planner/expert also player in political game
9. After Rittel & Webber
โข Thinking engrained in Public Administration
and Policy studies
โข However: still many wicked problems
approached as if they can be solved
โข Particularly also in life sciences: climate
change, sustainability, nature conservation,
and food security
โข Recent decade: what type of governance
systems needed?
10. Food security
Food security defined as:
โall 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
lifeโ (FAO 2003)
Availability, access, utilization, and stability
13. Food security as a wicked problem
โข What is the problem? Food production?
Sustainability? Inequality? Trade barriers?
โข High degrees uncertainty
โข Conflicting problem definitions and solutions
โข Cross-scale: short vs. long term, multi-level
governance, multi-sector
๏ Nobody is against โfood securityโ, but what is
meant with it? And how to address it?
17. Food security in the CAP
Candel, 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
โข CAP: main EU agricultural steering device
โข 2009-2013 reform
โข Convergence, greening, safety nets
18. Research puzzle
โข Pervasiveness of food security arguments
โข What do actors mean when they invoke food
security? What claims do they make?
โข Analysis stakeholder input
โข Identification of 6 frames: cognitive and
communicative stories that actors use to make
sense of the world
19. Productionist frame
โข Produce more food (double in 2050)
๏ Stimulating production and productivity
โข EU food security not self-evident
โข Threats: volatility and dependence on imports
โข Solutions: income support, same criteria for
imports
20. Environmental frame
โข Focus on negative effects intensive agriculture on
environment
โข Long-term perspective
โข Problems: climate change, environmental
degradation (soil, biodiversity, etc.)
โข Greening, better targeting of support, change
towards more plant-based diets
21.
22. Development frame
โข Focus on impact CAP on food security developing
countries
โข European vs. global food security
โข Income support considered as core problem & negative
socio-environmental impacts imports
โข Solutions: eliminate trade-distorting measures, allow
developing countries to protect their markets, policy
coherence
23.
24. Wickedness
โข Various, sometimes conflicting problem
definitions and solutions
โข Todayโs problems emerge as a result of trying
to understand and solve yesterdayโs problems
โข Solubility? Highly political!
How do EU policy-makers deal with this?
25. Ongoing research
โข Focus on European Commission
โข Interview round at DGs (Devco, Agri, MARE,
Trade, Envi, SG, ECHO, Sanco, etc.) in Spring
2014
โข To what extent is Commission capable of
dealing wisely with the wicked problem of
food security in its policy formation process?
26.
27. Theoretical debate
โthe Commission is highly โstove-pipedโ, 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 โwicked problemsโ,
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.โ
(Kassim et al. 2013)
28. Counter argument
โข Many developments that are aimed at
enhancing coordination: stronger role SG,
impact assessments, inter-service
consultations
โข Kassim et al.: personal networks matter!
๏ In depth study of case food security
29. Preliminary findings
โข Fragmented approach (not necessarily bad!)
โข Approached as technical excercise, but highly
political!
โข Services have own views, but cooperate
relatively well
โข Many demands and views: balancing act
โข High dependence on Parliament and Council
30. Preliminary conclusions
โข Formal structures and procedures both hinder
and enable governance of wicked problems
โข Informal processes โoil in the machineโ
โข Steering capacaties Commission limited
31. Looking back
โข Many policy problems can be characterized as
wicked
โข Food security is a good example of a wicked
problem
โข FS in the EU is characterized by conflicting
frames (CAP reform)
โข The wickedness of FS poses specific challenges
to the Commission, to which it is only partly
able to respond
32. Thank you for your attention!
Any questions?
Contact details:
Jeroen.candel@wur.nl
Twitter: @JeroenWUR