Date: Tuesday 11 September 2018
Time: 14:00 - 16:00
Venue: Gilbert Scott Conference Suite 356
Category:
Speaker: Dr Charalampos 'Harry' Konstantinidis

Dr Charalampos 'Harry' Konstantinidis of the University of Massachusetts Boston will present his research entitled 'An Examination of Severe Food Insecurity in Austerity-Era Greece' at Adam Smith Business School on Tuesday 11 September 2018.

Abstract:
Despite the wide-ranging consequences of the recent crisis in Greece, its implications for food insecurity in Greece have remained understudied. In this paper, I argue that food insecurity in austerity-era Greece should be examined in the context of the dismantling of agricultural production and the longer-term restructuring of the Greek food system after the country’s entry into the European Economic Community. I then use the EU Social Inclusion and Living Conditions dataset to analyze severe food insecurity among households in austerity-era Greece. I show that, in addition to being affected by income, assets, and the level of austerity, severe food insecurity is greater for immigrant households from non-EU countries, as well as for households living in Athens. Similarly, child food insecurity is greater among immigrant households as well as single-mother households. While production for own consumption is associated with lower rates of overall food insecurity, production for own consumption has decreased during the crisis. These results cast doubt on a popular narrative that presents “going-back-to-the-land” as a widespread coping strategy, and suggest the need for concerted efforts to rebuild food production in Greece, as well as for social programs that protect the most vulnerable groups of the population.

Biography:
Dr Charalampos 'Harry' Konstantinidis joined the Economics Department at the University of Massachusetts Boston in fall 2012. His primary research interests lie at the intersection of political economy and ecological economics. His recent work has examined the restructuring of agriculture and food in Greece; as well as the socio-economic and dimensions of the growth of organic farming in the European Union. Other research interests include history of economic thought and sustainable development. Dr Konstantinidis was awarded a Samuels Young Scholar Award by the History of Economics Society for his research on community in economic thought, and a William R. Waters Research Grant by the Association for Social Economics for his work on European organic farming.