IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bpj/bjafio/v9y2011i1n7.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Pressure Group Competition and GMO Regulations in Sub-Saharan Africa - Insights from the Becker Model

Author

Listed:
  • Takeshima Hiroyuki
  • Gruère Guillaume P

Abstract

It is widely acknowledged that pressure groups play influential roles with regard to decision making on the agricultural and food use of genetically-modified organisms (GMO) in developing countries, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, there has been relatively minimal examination of when these lobbying efforts actually influence GMO policies, and how such influence changes when other exogenous constraints associated with GMO improve. Using the model of competition between pressure groups developed by Becker (1983), this paper shows that if anti-GMO lobbying appears to be working, it is likely because conditions in SSA are unfavorable to the introduction of GMO. This result is validated by a discussion of existing capacity constraints for the development, regulation, and dissemination of GMO in SSA countries, and of how these constraints may make conditions less favorable despite the reported potential benefits of GMO. The findings of this paper confirm the importance of relaxing capacity and institutional constraints, and suggest that these constraints should be addressed before considering a possible lack of political will for promising GMO in SSA countries. Political influence may not have as much of an impact on the slow adoption of GMO by SSA countries as insufficient scientific and institutional capacity.

Suggested Citation

  • Takeshima Hiroyuki & Gruère Guillaume P, 2011. "Pressure Group Competition and GMO Regulations in Sub-Saharan Africa - Insights from the Becker Model," Journal of Agricultural & Food Industrial Organization, De Gruyter, vol. 9(1), pages 1-19, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:bpj:bjafio:v:9:y:2011:i:1:n:7
    DOI: 10.2202/1542-0485.1325
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.2202/1542-0485.1325
    Download Restriction: For access to full text, subscription to the journal or payment for the individual article is required.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.2202/1542-0485.1325?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kym Anderson & Lee Ann Jackson, 2005. "Some Implications of GM Food Technology Policies for Sub-Saharan Africa," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 14(3), pages 385-410, September.
    2. B. L. Gardner & G. C. Rausser (ed.), 2002. "Handbook of Agricultural Economics," Handbook of Agricultural Economics, Elsevier, edition 1, volume 2, number 4.
    3. Simon Chege Kimenju & Hugo De Groote, 2008. "Consumer willingness to pay for genetically modified food in Kenya," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 38(1), pages 35-46, January.
    4. Binenbaum, Eran & Nottenburg, Carol & Pardey, Philip G & Wright, Brian D & Zambrano, Patricia, 2003. "South-North Trade, Intellectual Property Jurisdictions, and Freedom to Operate in Agricultural Research on Staple Crops," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 51(2), pages 309-335, January.
    5. Gruère, Guillaume & Sengupta, Debdatta, 2009. "GM-free private standards and their effects on biosafety decision-making in developing countries," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(5), pages 399-406, October.
    6. Harvey E. Lapan & Giancarlo Moschini, 2004. "Innovation and Trade with Endogenous Market Failure: The Case of Genetically Modified Products," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 86(3), pages 634-648.
    7. Falck-Zepeda, José & Gruère, Guillaume & Horna, Daniela & Jones, Hannah & Matuschke, Ira & Nagarajan, Latha & Smale, Melinda & Yerramareddy, Indira & Zambrano, Patricia, 2009. "Measuring the economic impacts of transgenic crops in developing agriculture during the first decade: Approaches, findings, and future directions," Food policy reviews 10, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    8. Takeshima, Hiroyuki & Oyekale, Abayomi & Olatokun, Segun & Salau, Sheu, 2010. "Demand characteristics for improved rice, cowpea, and maize seeds in Nigeria: Policy implications and knowledge gaps," NSSP working papers 16, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    9. Carl Pray & Anwar Naseem, 2007. "Supplying crop biotechnology to the poor: Opportunities and constraints," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(1), pages 192-217.
    10. Jeff Bennett & Ekin Birol (ed.), 2010. "Choice Experiments in Developing Countries," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 13208.
    11. Binenbaum, Eran, et al, 2003. "South-North Trade, Intellectual Property Jurisdictions, and Freedom to Operate in Agricultural Research on Staple Crops," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 51(2), pages 309-335, January.
    12. B. L. Gardner & G. C. Rausser (ed.), 2002. "Handbook of Agricultural Economics," Handbook of Agricultural Economics, Elsevier, edition 1, volume 2, number 3.
    13. Harberger, Arnold C, 1971. "Three Basic Postulates for Applied Welfare Economics: An Interpretive Essay," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 9(3), pages 785-797, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Vigani, Mauro & Olper, Alessandro, 2014. "GM-free private standards, public regulation of GM products and mass media," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 19(6), pages 743-768, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. repec:fpr:ifprib:9780896297951 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Kym Anderson, 2016. "Agricultural Trade, Policy Reforms, and Global Food Security," Palgrave Studies in Agricultural Economics and Food Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-1-137-46925-0, June.
    3. Georgina Catacora-Vargas & Rosa Binimelis & Anne I. Myhr & Brian Wynne, 2018. "Socio-economic research on genetically modified crops: a study of the literature," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 35(2), pages 489-513, June.
    4. Christopher B. Barrett & John G. McPeak, 2006. "Poverty Traps and Safety Nets," Economic Studies in Inequality, Social Exclusion, and Well-Being, in: Alain Janvry & Ravi Kanbur (ed.), Poverty, Inequality and Development, chapter 0, pages 131-154, Springer.
    5. Shifa, Abdulaziz B., 2011. "Does agricultural growth have a causal effect on manufacturing growth?," 2011 International Congress, August 30-September 2, 2011, Zurich, Switzerland 116003, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    6. Ryckembusch, David & Frega, Romeo & Silva, Marcio Guilherme & Gentilini, Ugo & Sanogo, Issa & Grede, Nils & Brown, Lynn, 2013. "Enhancing Nutrition: A New Tool for Ex-Ante Comparison of Commodity-based Vouchers and Food Transfers," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 58-67.
    7. Chung, Jiyoon & Lorenz, Annika & Somaya, Deepak, 2019. "Dealing with intellectual property (IP) landmines: Defensive measures to address the problem of IP access," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(9), pages 1-1.
    8. Gregory S. Amacher & Erkki Koskela & Markku Ollikainen, 2004. "Deforestation, Production Intensity and Land Use under Insecure Property Rights," CESifo Working Paper Series 1128, CESifo.
    9. Khandker, Shahidur R. & Samad, Hussain A. & Ali, Rubaba, 2013. "Does access to finance matter in microenterprise growth ? evidence from Bangladesh," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6333, The World Bank.
    10. Allcott, Hunt & Lederman, Daniel & Lopez, Ramon, 2006. "Political institutions, inequality, and agricultural growth : the public expenditure connection," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3902, The World Bank.
    11. Chandana Maitra & Sriram Shankar & D.S. Prasada Rao, 2016. "Income Poor or Calorie Poor? Who should get the Subsidy?," Discussion Papers Series 564, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
    12. Ahmed, Mansur & Goodwin, Barry, "undated". "Agricultural Mechanization and Non-Farm Labor Supply of Farm Households: Evidence from Bangladesh," 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts 236131, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    13. Hagos Nigussie, 2016. "Indigenous Communication Forms and Their Potential to Convey Food Security Messages in Rural Ethiopia," Indian Journal of Human Development, , vol. 10(3), pages 414-427, December.
    14. Randy Stringer & Prabhu Pingali, 2004. "Agriculture's Contributions to Economic and Social Development," The Electronic Journal of Agricultural and Development Economics, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, vol. 1(1), pages 1-5.
    15. Czyżewski Andrzej & Grzelak Aleksander, 2018. "Application of the input-output model for structural analysis on the example of the agricultural sector in Poland," Management, Sciendo, vol. 22(2), pages 285-298, December.
    16. Pouliot, Sebastien, 2011. "The Beginning Farmers’ Problem In Canada," ISU General Staff Papers 201101010800001213, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    17. Trevor Tombe, 2010. "The Missing Food Problem: How Low Agricultural Imports Contribute to International Income and Productivity Differences," Working Papers tecipa-416, University of Toronto, Department of Economics.
    18. Huber, Robert & Lehmann, Bernard, 2010. "Economies of Scope in the Agricultural Provision of Ecosystem Services: An Application to a High Cost Production Region," German Journal of Agricultural Economics, Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin, Department for Agricultural Economics, vol. 59(02), pages 1-15, June.
    19. Nina Hyytiä, 2014. "Farm diversification and regional investments: efficient instruments for the CAP rural development targets in rural regions of Finland?," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 41(2), pages 255-277.
    20. Huffman, Wallace & Rousu, Matthew & Shogren, Jason F. & Tegene, Abebayehu, 2003. "Better Dead Than GM-Fed? Information and the Effects of Consumers' Resistance to GM-Foods in High-Income Countries," Staff General Research Papers Archive 10345, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    21. Gouel, Christophe, 2013. "Optimal food price stabilisation policy," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 118-134.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bpj:bjafio:v:9:y:2011:i:1:n:7. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Peter Golla (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.degruyterbrill.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.