Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
Abstract:
Criticisms of India’s rice export ban must be balanced with the recognition of its responsibility to ensure food affordability for its constituents. Finding a middle ground that addresses India’s predicament could help to prevent the impending international food price crisis from escalating.
Topic:
Climate Change, Food Security, Exports, Affordability, Rice, and Conference of the Parties (COP)
Aytalina Azarova, Gabor Scheiring, Michael Ash, and Lawrence King
Publication Date:
04-2021
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Political Economy Research Institute (PERI), University of Massachusetts Amherst
Abstract:
This paper reexamines the argument that alcohol policies were the major factor behind the mortality crisis in postsocialist Russia. We show that the correlation between the Gorbachev anti-alcohol campaign (rebound hypothesis), alcohol prices in the 1990s (affordability hypothesis), and mortality reported in previous analyses is not robust to splitting oblasts into Far- East and the rest of Russia. Our analysis conducted on a sample of 534 towns in the European part of Russia also finds no robust evidence supporting the two hypotheses. In contrast, findings linking privatization to mortality are robust to controlling for the anti-alcohol campaign and the affordability of alcohol.
Topic:
Health, Political Economy, Mortality, Alcohol, and Affordability