Local food policies as drivers to innovate the Italian public sector

Bianca Minotti

Doctoral thesis

Abstract:

The thesis analyses the topic of local food policies as drivers of governance innovation into the public sector. The research starts from the assumption that local food policies all over the world are one of the answers to sustainable development as they aim to meet local needs of a food system by introducing new forms of collaboration and partecipation among food system stakeholders. In particular, this thesis focuses on the role of the administration within these food governance systems in order to understand what is their current role and what could be improved through food policies. To do so, the research considers the case study of Italy, declined in four cities (Lucca, Milan, Turin and Rome), as examples of four different contexts that have been implementing local food policies. Through four years of partecipative observation and thirty six semi-structured interviews, the research observed how local food policies emerge in different territorial context, aiming to understand what challenges and solutions alternative governance systems and integrated policies have in dealing with food system issues and local administration. The outcome of these research activities are four peer reviewed articles, one for each context selected, that bring insights into each local food system and policy context, along with general lessons to be learned on food policies in Italy. Findings show that alternative and collaborative food governance can bring innovation into the Italian administrative system. The main innovation is related to the introduction of a new narrative on the role of cities as gamechanger for global sustainable development. The thesis shows how innovation of the administration can be achieved using already existing instruments such as councils, joint managements, trans-disciplinary working groups inside the municipality, with the aim to achieve integration of departments, cooperation among actors of the food system and coherence among policies.

Keywords

Food, food system, food policy, local government, public sector, Italy, public administration, governance, food council, innovation, policy integration

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 12. 1. 2023

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: doc. Mgr. Ing. Lukáš Zagata, Ph.D.
• Reader: Michal Lošťák, Ph.D., prof. PhDr., Michele Moretti, externi, Maria Cecilia Mancini, externi

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Economics and Management

Doctoral programme / field:
Economics Policy and Administration / Regional and Social Development