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Agrifood Sector Liberalisation and the Rise of Supermarkets in Former State‐controlled Economies: A Comparative Overview
Author(s) -
Reardon Thomas,
Swinnen Johan F. M.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
development policy review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.671
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1467-7679
pISSN - 0950-6764
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-7679.2004.00263.x
Subject(s) - liberalization , state (computer science) , agriculture , business , economy , east asia , international trade , economics , market economy , geography , china , archaeology , algorithm , computer science
Former state‐controlled economies (FSCEs) have become the most important destination of global retail chain investments. These economies, which spread from North Africa, across Central and Eastern Europe, to East Asia, include more than one and a half billion consumers and a large share of the world's agricultural area and poor farmers. They have undergone an often radical transformation of their agrifood system over the past decade. The take‐off of supermarkets in FSCEs started seriously in the mid‐late 1990s, and is now moving fast. This article compares FSCE experience in the supermarket revolution and considers its implications for policy‐makers and rural development practitioners.