State Capability and Challenges to Russia’s Food Security in the Twenty-first Century
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd
Publishing:24th Nov '25
£145.00
This title is due to be published on 24th November, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
This book offers a rigorous examination of Russia's state capability through the critical lens of food security, revealing profound implications for domestic stability and international relations.
Drawing on extensive research, the author demonstrates how food insecurity has historically catalyzed political instability in Russia, explaining the Putin regime's substantial investment in agricultural self-sufficiency since 2014. The analysis extends beyond domestic considerations to interrogate Russia's unique position as the sole major authoritarian grain exporter in a changing global order.
It contains compelling evidence that Russia's management of food security challenges constitutes a pivotal factor in contemporary geopolitics. As climate change threatens future Russian grain production, it shows the consequences extend to dependent regimes and global market stability.
This timely contribution advances scholarly understanding of how control over fundamental resources influences state capability and international relations. It will be essential reading for researchers and students in Russian studies, international relations, food security, and political economy, as well as policymakers engaged with global food systems and security governance.
"Two macro global trends have emerged in the past quarter century. First, Russia’s importance to global food security has become more prominent. Second, authoritarian regimes increasingly base their legitimacy on domestic food security. Wegren’s timely book merges analyses of these two trends. His compelling analysis surveys several crucial challenges confronting Russia’s food security and assesses state capability to meet myriad challenges, ranging from global heating which influences Russia’s agrifood production, to food safety, to current global tensions that show little signs of alleviation. With its clear and crisp writing, the reader is sure to benefit. Highly recommended. "
- Frode Nilssen, Professor, The Arctic University of Norway, Norwegian College of Fishery Science
"This new book from Stephen Wegren, the West’s leading authority on Russian agricultural and food policy, is his best one yet. He broadens his inquiry to include the many key elements that enter into the production of agriculture and food everywhere, but especially in Russia—climate change, the unpredictable bureaucratic structures, the supply chains connecting the farm to the retail store, the diversity of natural conditions in a country that spans 11 time zones, the neglected area of food safety, and capping it all, the challenges from geopolitics. Food security and food exports are thus the outcomes of a whole system, which Wegren take us through, surely and admirably. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand Russa’s role in the world’s food supply. Strongly recommended. "
- Thane Gustafson, Professor of Government, Georgetown University
ISBN: 9781041103738
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
282 pages