Happy New Year, evolutionary economists! To kick off 2021, we will be sharing AFEE members’ presentations from this year’s ASSA conference, held virtually.
Our first highlighted presentation is that of Geoff Schneider, who presented his paper “The Modern Food Industry in the U.S.: A case study of industrial sabotage .”
Abstract: The U.S. food industry displays the ugly side of capitalism, manifesting numerous examples of what Thorstein Veblen (1921) termed “industrial sabotage.” The evolution of agricultural production from small family farms to huge industrial agribusinesses has been accompanied by toxic pesticide and herbicide use, unsafe industrial meat, and unsustainable farming practices. Meanwhile, industrial food production shifted diets from primarily whole foods to mostly ultra-processed food-like substances. Ultra-processed food is designed to be addictive by incorporating copious amounts of sugar, salt, fat, and flavorings, fueling the obesity crisis in the process. The solutions to our food problems lie along the lines suggested by Veblen, and involve putting the productive people of society, especially farmers, back in charge of production, while empowering the common people and their communities. Furthermore, government agencies with teeth and a series of targeted regulations can deliver on the promise of countervailing power suggested by John Kenneth Galbraith.
The paper can be read here (and in the forthcoming June 2021 issue of the Journal of Economic Issues) and the video can be seen below.
Did you present a paper at the 2021 ASSA conference? Please submit your abstract, video recording, paper, and/or PowerPoint presentation to afeesmc@gmail.com to be highlighted on our blog!