34th Annual Student Research Conference
Agricultural Policy, Nutritional Welfare, and Public Choice Economics
Emma C. Rollings*, Bryce Beggs, Jessica N. Rood, Cody Boyd, and Adaline R. Bray
Dr. David Gillette, Faculty Mentor
The United States' healthcare system has been burdened in recent decades by the increasing development of diet-related diseases, from diabetes and obesity to heart disease and cancer. Despite years of analysis and widespread desire to craft policy to address this issue, little has slowed the rising number of lives affected by diet-related illness and the associated costs of their care.
Public choice theory holds that bureaucracies, politicians, and voters each face incentives that lead them to select inefficient, convoluted, or harmful methods for dealing with society’s ills. Using this perspective, scholars have identified and described shortcomings in governmental policy-making according to the incentives faced by individuals in a given context. This project will examine the relationship between corn-subsidizing agricultural policies and bureaucratic expenditures for nutrition guidance and assistance for American citizens.
Keywords: public choice theory, agricultural subsidies, bureaucracy , health, incentives, nutrition, welfare, sweetners
Topic(s):Economics
Presentation Type: Face-to-Face Oral Presentation
Session: 302-4
Location: SUB Activities Room
Time: 2:15