Growth and decline : understanding international food aid since 1993

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:In 1993, international food aid reached a record high level, but by 1997 food aid hadfallen to its lowest level in more than two decades. Though the post-1993 decline offood aid has been the dominant trend in food aid, there has also been a significantgrowth in food aid during the period in question. This thesis aims to understand theparadoxical, but parallel, growth and decline of food aid since 1993 from a neo-Gramscian perspective. The neo-Gramscian approach to international relations is ahistorically sensitive, non-deterministic Marxist perspective, normatively committedto transformation towards a more just world order. This perspective assists us inunderstanding the relative freedom enjoyed by the hegemon from the structural andinstitutional constraints faced by other states. The neo-Gramscian approach is uniquein indicating the role of middle powers and international organisations in perpetuatingand legitimising the hegemonic order, whereby middle powers strongly supportinternational organisations. The decline of food aid occurred because agriculturalsurplus availability has remained the most important factor determining food aidlevels, with food aid consequently declining as cereal prices increased after 1993.Furthermore, the food aid regime has proved too weak to enforce a severing of thelink between food aid and agricultural surplus for most states, particularly the largestfood aid donor and hegemon, the United States. The growth of food aid has been theresult of the support given to relevant international organisations and agreements bymiddle powers, despite middle powers initially having been manipulated intoparticipating in the food aid regime by the hegemonic United States. The possibleimplications of the trends identified in this study for the future of food aid to Sub-Saharan Africa, also enjoy consideration.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University