The Governance of Food Security in Europe

“With impressive analytical depth, Maria Stella Righettini brings together strands from public policy, street-level bureaucracy, and crisis governance to illuminate the often-overlooked contributions of frontline actors during turbulent times.”

— Dr. Giulia Bazzan, Assistant Professor of Public Governance, Tilburg University | Tilburg Law School | Department of Public Law and Governance, Netherlands.

"As a must-read for food policy scholars, it challenges them to rethink prevailing models of policy diffusion and institutional resilience by showing how everyday practices of coordination and improvisation are critical to local food security."

— Carsten Daugbjerg, Professor, Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhage

This book examines the governance of food security policy in Europe amid political crises and turbulence. Focusing on detailed case studies of the Fund for European Aid, food aid programs implemented across Italian cities during the Covid-19 pandemic, and initiatives in the metropolitan areas of Milan and Warsaw, it assesses the ways in which frontline workers have sought to reshape public policy to address urgent community needs. In doing so, the book draws attention to various collaborative learning mechanisms between street-level bureaucrats and third-sector organizations in food-assistance delivery, and the ways in which collaboration is constrained by institutional features that hinder its institutionalization in specific contexts. It also highlights the importance of trust and learning, both in delivering more resilient food security strategies, and in multilevel governance more generally. The book will appeal to all those interested in public policy, governance, and European politics.

Maria Stella Righettini is Associate Professor of Public Policy and Policy Evaluation at the Department of Political, Legal and International Studies, University of Padova, Italy.