GDI Webinar: Never let a crisis go to waste: Speculation, rent-seeking and rent-extraction in the food sector
| Dates: | 25 January 2024 |
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| Times: | 13:00 - 14:00 |
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| What is it: | Webinar |
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| Organiser: | Global Development Institute |
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| Speaker: | Sophie van Huellen |
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Join us for the first instalment of our pilot GDI lunchtime webinar series. These webinars are open to all and designed to provide a space for speakers to share their ideas and discuss pressing topics with staff and students across a range of departments.
This webinar will be led by Sophie van Huellen, Senior Lecturer in Development Economics at the Global Development Institute.
Webinar abstract: The global food system is geared towards the generation and extraction of rents which are channelled into financial markets. These dynamics are rooted in today’s highly financialised food system and become visible in times of crisis.
The recent food crisis has been no exception. Financial speculation, in anticipation of future food shortages caused by the war in Ukraine, has driven a price boom (and bust) in staple foods.
The perception of crisis, the narrative of possible shortages, and supply chain disruptions have been used by large food corporations to legitimise increases in sales prices beyond what would have been required to compensate for rising costs. This strategy, made possible by high levels of concentration in different segments of the food chain, has resulted in record profits for some corporations. These profits are extracted into financial markets via shareholder payouts and interest payments on corporate debt.
This webinar traces the mechanisms that resulted in record profits by some actors in the food system and identifies the ultimate beneficiaries of the latest food crisis.
Registration: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcvdO-prDwsH933BLl07QHHINS9C3fwSwJV
Speaker
Sophie van Huellen
Role: Senior Lecturer in Development Economics
Organisation: Global Development Institute
Travel and Contact Information
