Food and the systems that produce, disrupt, prepare it are central to all human life. Yet, scholarly analysis of the food systems that support human life are highly fragmented across a variety of disciplines. Public administration, with its focus on the doing of public policy, would seem to be a logical home for analysis of food systems in action. However, food is largely ignored by public administration scholars, and scholars from other disciplines can unintentionally draw up established public administration literature. The chapters in this edited volume highlight where the lenses and languages of public administration can and should be used to analyze food systems. Viewed collectively, the editors argue that the lenses and languages of public administration can and should become a common ground for scholars and practitioners to discuss food systems.
A. Bryce Hoflund is associate professor and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Chair of Healthcare Administration and Policy in the School of Public Administration at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. John C. Jones is assistant professor in the center for environmental studies at Virgina Commonwealth University. Michelle C. Pautz is professor of political science and assistant provost for the common academic program at the University of Dayton.
Introduction: Setting the Table to Study Food Systems through Public Administration A. Bryce Hoflund, John C. Jones, and Michelle C. Pautz Section II. Politics and Policy Chapter One. How the Farm Bill Underpins U.S. Nutrition Policy Brent Blevins Chapter Two. The Politics of SNAP Mathematics Angela Babb Chapter Three. The Role of Crop Insurance in Shaping Production Trends and Environmental Outcomes in the U.S. Agri-Food System Kristal Jones, Daniel Tobin, Laurie Ristino, Carina Isbell, and Jake Jacobs Chapter Four. Hating Health Meals: Policy Rollbacks and School Meals Jennifer Rutledge Chapter Five: Taking Students and Staff Seriously: The National School Lunch Program as Co-ProductionAmy Rosenthal Chapter Six. Using a Multidimensional Food Insecurity Framework to Inform Public Policy Danni Smith, Erin Feichtinger, Jodi Benenson Chapter Seven. Growing a Greener Lens: Connecting Concepts of Public Affairs and Sustainability from a Food Systems' Frame Rachel Emas Section III. Regulation Chapter Eight. Informationism in Food Policy: How the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Came to Regulate Food Through Informative Labeling Xaq Frohlich Chapter Nine. Contested Regulations in the Organic Foods Sector: Public Administration's Challenging Encounter with Alternative Food Activism Michael Haedicke Chapter Ten. Seed Libraries in the U.S.: Regulations, Seed Saving, Seed Sharing, and Seed Sovereignty Nurcan Atalan-Helicke, Andrew J. Schneller, Clarivel Gonzalez, Carolyn Lois, and Helen Alemayehu Mebrate Section IV. Budget and Finance Chapter Eleven. Factors Affecting the Sustainability of Short-Term Collaborative Networks: A Case Study of Communities Putting Prevention to Work Nutrition Initiatives in Douglas County, Nebraska Can Chen, A. Bryce Hoflund, and Carol Ebdon Chapter Twelve. Framework for a Cost-Benefit Analysis of a Large-Scale Food Processing Plant in a Small Rural Community: The Case of Costco's Poultry Plant in Fremont, Nebraska, Sungho Park, Craig S. Maher Section V. Emergency Management Chapter Thirteen. Addressing Nutrition During and After a Humanitarian Emergency Sheila Fleischhacker Chapter Fourteen. Food Insecurity and an Economic Crisis: The Case of Omaha, Nebraska during the Coronavirus Shutdowns Emily MacNabb and B.J. Fletcher Section VI. Conclusion Conclusion: Connecting Food Systems and Public Administration: Key Takeaways and Future Research A. Bryce Hoflund, John C. Jones, Michelle C. Pautz
"Hoflund, Jones, and Pautz have edited an exceptional collection that challenges existing narratives about food politics and examines the unintended consequences of policies that impact sustainability, healthcare, and civic engagement. Readers who are interested in public administration will be engaged by case studies on the Farm Bill, SNAP program, school lunch initiatives, food labeling, and food processing. Readers who are drawn to food politics will be inspired by applications of public administration frameworks and methods that will advance their understanding of the policy process and its impacts. This is an important volume that examines problems in and proposes solutions to crises that plague the U.S. food system." -- Courtney Thomas, Virginia Tech "Administering and Managing the US Food System is a must-read for those who want to learn more about food policy in America. This volume speaks to the major challenges facing public servants today- school lunches, food insecurity, regulating organic foods, processing plants, and more. Hoflund, Jones, and Pautz deliver on their promise to explain the intersection of food policy and public administration." -- Amanda Olejarski, West Chester University "This volume provides a much-needed introduction to the interface between the food system and public administration for students and scholars alike. The accessible and diverse compilation of cases illustrate how the field of public administration has much to offer in terms of creating a more equitable, democratic, and sustainable food system that impacts every American, every day." -- Jill Clark, Ohio State University
