Agricultural policy in Europe

Agriculture remains significant in the political, economic and social life of Europe. This book provides a stimulating account of agricultural policy which goes beyond a narrow concern with the mechanisms and operation of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and instead constructs a broader canvas, developing an assessment of the relationship between national, international and supranatonal institutions and actors in the agricultural sector generally, including the linkages with increasingly important contemporary policy areas such as food, health and rural development. Among the theses covered by the book are: the different national policy styles across Europe in this sector; the evolution of the CAP; how the CAP influences and is influenced by national institutions; challenges to the CAP model; the development of national policies for CAP reform; the effect of forthcoming eastern enlargement on this sector; and the importance of the sector on the wider concerns with rural development, public health, safety and regulation, the environment, and technological developments in food produciton such as genetic engineering.