Effect of Trade Openness on Food Security in the EU: A Dynamic Panel Analysis

Giulio Fusco, Benedetta Coluccia and Federica De Leo
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Giulio Fusco: Department of Economics and Management, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce LE, Italy
Benedetta Coluccia: Department of Economics and Management, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce LE, Italy
Federica De Leo: Department of Economics and Management, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce LE, Italy

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 12, 1-13

Abstract: The problem of food insecurity is growing across the world, including economically developed countries. In Europe, the question is not just about the total supply of foods, but it includes even the accessibility of prices and their nutritional and qualitative adequacy. In this context many countries recognize the importance of trade policies to ensure adequate levels of food security. The aim of this work was to analyze the impact of trade openness on the level of food security in European countries, using a dynamic panel analysis with the generalized method of moments (GMM) approach. We selected two different indicators of food security (average protein supply, average dietary energy supply adequacy) capable of offering information both on the quantity and on the nutritional quality of the food supply. In order to improve the robustness of the empirical results, we developed three different regressions, with three trade openness indicators (trade openness, tariff, globalization) for each food security indicator. The results showed that commercial opening has, on average, a statistically significant net positive impact on the food security of European countries. Additional results indicate that also economic development, together with the importance of the agricultural sector, can improve food security levels.

Keywords: food security; trade openness; Common Agricultural Policy (CAP); European countries; dynamic panel (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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