Project description
Charitable food provision in Italy, Japan and the Netherlands
Food charities are becoming increasingly important in addressing food insecurity and hunger. However, there is a lack of comprehensive research comparing charitable food provision (CFP) across different countries and cities, as well as its connection to various welfare and civil society systems. The ERC-funded FOOD CHARITIES project will use event sequence analysis to study the historical development of CFP in Italy, Japan, and the Netherlands. Additionally, it will use mixed-methods social network analysis to examine current CFP dynamics in Palermo, Kyoto, and Rotterdam. This research aims to provide new insights into urban studies, sustainability, organisational studies, food, and social policy, offering a comparative understanding of food support and insecurity.
Objective
Food charities have become essential pillars in assisting the urban poor, offering a crucial buffer between food insecurity and hunger. Their significance, particularly after the Great Recession, is underscored by two pivotal shifts: one towards the sustainable utilisation of food surplus and waste reduction, and the other reflecting societal changes with diminishing welfare benefit provision. While considerable research addresses food insecurity and support, the literature lacks a robust framework to understand and compare Charitable Food Provision (CFP) across countries and cities. Despite the almost universal occurrence of such transitions, existing studies have not yet contextualised this phenomenon within the diverse arrangements of welfare and civil society regimes, and the influence of transitions in agri-food sustainability on CFP. Accordingly, this proposal aims to:
1. Use event sequence analysis to chart the historical trajectory of CFP in Italy, Japan, and the Netherlands, examining the emergence and consolidation of professionalised CFP sectors in diverse institutional settings.
2. Adopt mixed-methods social network analysis to examine current CFP dynamics in Palermo, Kyoto, and Rotterdam, focusing on providers interrelationships, operational modes, and their ties with both state and non-state authorities.
3. Harness urban ethnography to investigate the interdependence between food insecurity and support to understand how CFP becomes part of poor people’s survival strategies.
Additionally, it introduces an innovative tool, tailored for city workshops, to facilitate real-time data collection on (CFP) urban dynamics. Hence, it combines the findings obtained by crafting an overarching framework to extend CFP comparison to other countries and cities. The research will create new knowledge across urban, sustainability, organisation, food, and social policy studies, offering an innovative, comparative insight into food support and insecurity.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2024-STG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
6200 MD Maastricht
Netherlands
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.