Research topics

SMART is structured in two research topics:

MOndialisation, organiSAtIon, Consommation (MOSAIC)

The MOSAIC research program covers theoretical and empirical analyses in international, industrial, geographical and consumer economics, with applications mainly to the agricultural, food and retail sectors. Our work in this area focuses on evolving societal challenges, strategies of economic agents and public policies, and addresses three main research themes:

• International competitiveness and revisited gains from trade : firm strategies in terms of quality, public and private standards, major economic players (retailers, multinational enterprises, etc.), the redistributive and environmental effects of international trade agreements (e.g. on food security, use of water resources, use of pesticides, job market)
• Coordination of Agri-food supply chains and territorial governance : distribution of margins along value chains, the geographic concentration of production, meeting the societal expectations in terms of environment and product quality, cooperatives and their involvement in the agroecological transition, circular economy, advantages and limits of a spatial reorganization of agricultural production in order to feed urban population
• Consumption, sustainable attributes and quality of life : farm-to-fork strategies, determinants of the consumption of market and non-market goods, intrinsic vs. sustainability attributes of food products, landscape planning in urban and suburban areas (urban vegetation, quality of life, acceptable environmental and socio-economic transition)

Production and Markets in Agriculture (PMA)

Most of the work in this research axis focuses on the development of economic models and the estimation of econometric models to inform public decision-making.  The research aims to analyze the choices made by farmers and actors on agricultural markets, and to assess the effects of public policies (including the EU CAP) impacting this sector. The studies are situated in an economic and political context where the agricultural sector is moving towards greater price volatility and sustainable production and consumption patterns.

The topics covered are:

• Microeconomic and microeconometric modeling of agricultural producers’ choices. A particular attention is given to risk management, the choice of agricultural production practices, and the sector’s structural evolution.
• The functioning of the markets linked to agricultural production, with particular attention to the volatility of agricultural commodity prices, factor markets, the effects of trade policies, and food security.
• The development and effects of agri-environmental legislation.