According to this new paper of mine titled “Rising Food Prices, Food Price Volatility, and Political Unrest,” the answer is a qualified yes:
Published June 28, 2011
Category: Biofuels
Published June 28, 2011
G-20 All Talk, No Action on Food Prices
An editorial in this morning’s New York Times:
“It is disappointing that the agriculture ministers from the 20 large industrial economies who gathered last week in Paris failed to end two policies that are a big part of the problem: bans on agricultural exports by certain producers and government supports for food-based biofuel production.
Published June 27, 2011
The Political Economy of Ethanol Subsidies
From an op-ed in the New York Times last weekend:
“Almost since Iowa — our biggest corn-producing state — grabbed the lead position in the presidential sweepstakes four decades ago, support for the biofuel has been nearly a prerequisite for politicians seeking the presidency.