Agrarian Policy: A Political Economy Approach

Instructor: Sandeshika Sharma (sandeshika@jgu.edu.in)

Time: 4:30-7:30pm, Monday
Prerequisites: This course is a research intensive course. It is only
recommended for 4th and 5th Year Law Students, and Second Year MPP and
MADLB Students; Students with exceptional writing skills and high motivation
levels, even at lower levels than specified above, are welcome. Please feel
free to write in if you have any questions or concerns regarding the course.
A Political Economy approach to agriculture policy is meant to bring out the
role of institutional actors in guiding the course of agriculture policy. The aim
is to look into 1)the visions and doctrines that have guided agriculture policy
in the post-colonial world and 2) how agrarian systems of the first world have
intersected and defined the agriculture policy in the developing world.
Agriculture policy has been a site of contestation much before other
globalization processes made their formal debut following structural
adjustment (occurring at different intervals within the developing world)
guidelines issued by the World Bank and IMF.
The following is a modular description of topics to be covered.
1. Traditional Approach versus a Political Economy Approach to Agriculture
Policy
a) Envisaged Role of Agriculture within theories of Development
b) Role of Investment (Public and Private)
2. Viewing Agriculture Performance and Policy in Historical Perspective: Input
and Output Subsidies and Price Supports, Productivity Trends, Management
of Food grains (For a select group of countries)
3. Understanding International Agencies and the International Agriculture Aid
System
4. Agriculture Research System, with specific reference to India and a select
few countries from Africa and Latin America
5. Emerging Trends in Agriculture Production Systems: New Cropping
technologies, Risk Assessment, Corporations in Agriculture, Seeds for the
new millennium

6. Issue of Food Security: The gap between production and availability

The assessment will be on the basis of presentations and one final research
paper. Students are expected to pick a research area from among the
modules given above and begin work on their papers early in the semester.
You are expected to make two partial submissions and one final submission,
with mutually agreed upon, non-negotiable deadlines.