![]() To better understand the temporary and longer-term niche innovations in food policymaking which emerged in New York City and State during the crisis, the paper examines policymaking data through the following key questions: How has food policymaking during the pandemic manifested? Which food issues have been politically salient? How did food policy during the emergency compare to the previous decade and long-term food policy goals for the next decade? And, to what extent were the proposed food policies aimed at deeper food system transformation, outlasting the state of emergency? Before presenting the research methods used ( Section 3) and the paper's key findings ( Section 4), we briefly review existing literature on food policymaking during crises and the COVID-19 pandemic more specifically in Section 2. ![]() Moreover, many restaurant owners had to close or go out of business due to limits on indoor dining. Many workers in the hospitality and restaurant industry, who experienced low wages and precarious jobs before the pandemic, were laid off. ![]() These caused abrupt income loss for the most vulnerable populations, leading to increased poverty, food insecurity, and hunger. In New York State, it resulted in New York on PAUSE (Policies that Assure Uniform Safety for Everyone), comprising policies to close and restrict businesses and require social distancing to stop the spread of the virus. In the densely populated New York City metropolitan region COVID-19 manifested as an abrupt and dramatic crisis prompted by high virus transmission rates. The research draws on 16 months of food policy (March 2020 through June 2021), comprising more than 300 food policies advanced by New York City and State legislators and administrators, and sheds light on the trajectory and nature of local food policymaking during the COVID-19 state of emergency. Taken together, and viewed through a multilevel and policy streams framework, the findings provide insight into the trajectory of food policymaking in New York during the pandemic and the areas that food justice activists, researchers, and policy makers should focus on as the COVID-19 pandemic is abated.įocusing on New York as a case study and using a conceptual lens grounded in the multiple streams theory ( Kingdon & Stano, 1984 Kingdon, 2010) and the multi-level perspective on socio-technical transitions ( Geels, 2002 Raven, 2006), this paper examines policymaking during the New York State-issued COVID-19 state of emergency. Most COVID-19 food policies were incremental and were limited to the duration of the emergency, yet the crisis allowed for enactment of novel policies that deviated from the common policy issues or the typical scale of changes proposed pre-pandemic. The paper shows that food policy domains that gained prominence focused on support for food businesses and food workers and on ensuring and expanding food access through food security and nutrition policies. Content analysis of these policies revealed the most salient policy areas during this period, the status of legislation, and key programs and budget allocations, as well as local food governance and the organizational spaces within which food policy operates. To address this gap, this paper applies the multilevel perspective on sociotechnical transitions and the multiple streams framework on policy change to 16 months of food policy (March 2020 through June 2021) during the New York State-issued COVID-19 state of emergency, comprising more than 300 food policies advanced by New York City and State legislators and administrators. The fast pace and high degree of uncertainty of the pandemic have made systematic tracking and assessment of food system change and related policy responses arduous. Local administrations worldwide have been challenged to design and implement policies to mitigate immediate food system disruptions while planning for longer-term equity and resilience. The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant effects on urban and regional food systems.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |