A Public Goods perspective to analyse CAP. Which issues for agricultural European models ? – BipPop

Since 1992, the CAP is progressing towards deregulation of agricultural markets and substitution of agricultural price support by direct payments. Criticized for its cost, for its negative environmental balance, for the concentration of supports toward a minority of farms characterised by higher incomes, for its inability to face markets fluctuations, the CAP is jeopardized. The production models increasingly intensive, specialized and simplified and the consequently continual restructuring of farming sector, are both phenomenon also questioned. The legitimacy of the CAP regarding to its future goals and resources therefore concentrates current debates. Among the changes being considered, orienting farming systems toward the production of public goods that meet societal expectations seems to gather more and more stakeholders point of views. This perspective then raises a debate on CAP after 2013, in order to develop the best forms of support for the production of public goods by agriculture.

In this context, this project consist in :
1) Deepening the concept of public goods provided by agriculture and the different conceptions of this notion
2) Assessing the role of various European farming systems in the provision of public goods
3) Analyzing the inclusion of public goods in the perpectives developped in the agricultural policies and by actors involved in the discussions on the CAP after 2013
4) Analyzing the prospects of European farm based perspectives of European agricultural policies and the role of public goods chosen.

The strength of the project is to carry such an evaluation successively within different political frames, in order to put in evidence which type of farming systems would be promoted when trying to maximise public goods provision.

This project aims to deepen the concept of public goods provided by agriculture in a broad sense, encompassing environmental and social dimensions (employment, income, participation in rural development ...).
The project couples two research fields in an original way, the first one referring to an "expanded" political economy where economic phenomena are embedded in social and environmental phenomena. It is an institutionalist economics, focusing on institutional change (here agricultural policies) understood as keys to perceive economic life, and on the factors of emergence of those changes. The second disciplinary field refers to a holistic approach to farming systems involving sociology, agricultural systems and management science, and an approach to evaluation of public goods provided by these operating systems . This assessment is based quantitative indicators worked out for the evaluation of public goods production at the farm level. These two disciplines both refer to a hybrid method, quantitative (statistical analysis) and qualitative (eg interviews with actors).
Another ambitious element of the project consists in the international comparisons of first farming systems, and second of European and domestic policy debates regarding to agriculture, including countries representing the diversity of situations in Europe (East, West and South).
The project BipPop relies on the experience of the three major project partners in terms of interdisciplinarity and European Comparison of operating systems and agricultural policies.