The Missing State in Solving World Hunger: State proposals to addressing world hunger at the 2015 World Expo

Abstract

This paper examines how states at the 2015 World Expo addressed the theme of “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life.” The 2015 World Expo was a unique and important venue for studying how states portray solutions to hunger in an international context, since it allowed states to present their take on The Expo’s theme to more than 20 million visitors. Through observations at the 2015 World Expo and content analysis of states’ Expo websites, this paper addresses the following questions: How did states propose to address world hunger? What did the role of the State look like in these solutions? Findings show that states proposed free market-centered solutions which heavily featured the role of the consumer through ideals of citizen-consumerism and ecomodernism as they provided solutions to world hunger. The role of the State in these solutions was largely limited to supporting the market and promoting gastronational ideals. These portrayals suggest a Polanyian double movement where free market-centered solutions coexist in tension with initiatives for societal protection. These findings show how states conceptualize the realm of possibilities for food policy, with tendencies to relegate the State’s function to the sidelines while centering the market.