Convention Theory in the Latin American Agro-Food Studies

Paulo Niederle

Capítulo do livro Handbook of Economics and Sociology of Conventions, publicado pela Springer Cham.

Over the last two decades, economics and sociology of conventions (in short EC/SC) have established themselves as one of the main approaches to agro-food studies. Although this theoretical movement is more visible in Europe, it also has repercussions in other contexts. In Latin America, it was boosted by research on the so called “quality turn” processes in food markets, many of which were developed in partnership with French international cooperation on agriculture and rural development. This chapter analyzes the diffusion of EC/SC in agro-food studies in Latin America, with a focus on the actors/authors involved, priority themes, applications, and obstacles encountered. It also highlights the main contributions of EC/SC, particularly in drawing attention to subjects that until now have received little attention in agricultural economics and rural sociology, such as food consumption. Finally, it discusses how this approach can be useful in understanding current institutional changes in agro-food systems in Latin America.

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