September 8th 2016
Government-supported political openness enhances food security
Strong correlation between food insecurity and a country’s level of political violence and terror
Food affordability and political terror scale, Europe
(Relationship between the 2016 Global Food Security Index affordability score and political terror)
GFSI food affordability score
Best
Second best
Third best
Second worst
Worst
1.5
GPI political terror scale;
scored 1(best) to 5(worst)
Finland
Norway
Russia
1.0
Ireland
Denmark
1.0
UK
1.0
4.0
Sweden
1.0
Belarus
Netherlands
1.0
Belgium
France
1.5
1.0
1.0
Germany
1.0
1.0
1.0
2.5
Poland
Ukraine
Czech Rep. 1.0
Switzerland
Austria 1.0
1.0
1.0
1.5
Hungary
Portugal
1.5
Italy
Spain
2.0
1.5
4.0
Slovakia
2.0
Romania
2.0
Bulgaria
Serbia 1.5
Greece
2.5
Sources: 2016 Global Food Security Index; Economist Intelligence Unit calculations based on the Political Terror Scale.
The EIU’s Global Food Security Index (GFSI), sponsored by DuPont, shows a strong correlation (.78)
between the affordability of food in a country and its political terror scale—the level of political
violence and terror that a country experiences—in Europe. The relationship between food
consumption as a share of household expenditure and political clashes is particularly strong, and
highlights how high political violence and terror negatively impact food prices for consumers. For
example, tensions within and between Russia and Ukraine over the past few years have affected
economic growth in both countries, and have resulted in higher food prices.
Food quality & safety and political terror scale, Middle East & North Africa
(Relationship between the 2016 Global Food Security Index affordability score and political terror)
Turkey
2.5
Morocco
3.0
Syria
3.5
5.0
Tunisia
Israel 2.0
Algeria
3.0
Egypt
4.0
3.0
Jordan
Kuwait
3.0
Saudi Arabia
1.5
3.0
GFSI food affordability score
Best
Second best
Third best
Second worst
GPI political terror scale;
Worst
scored 1(best) to 5(worst)
Bahrain
2.0
Qatar
2.5
UAE
2.0
Oman
Yemen
5.0
Sources: 2016 Global Food Security Index; Economist Intelligence Unit calculations based on the Political Terror Scale.
The GFSI also shows a strong correlation (.87) between the quality & safety of food and political terror
in the Middle East & North Africa, one of the seven regions in the GFSI. The relationships between
diet diversity and micronutrient availability and repressive rule are particularly strong; access to
nutritious, varied diets can suffer in countries where there is high political violence and terror. For
example, civil war in Syria and Yemen has significantly reduced the quality & safety of food in these
countries.
Explore more: http://foodsecurityindex.eiu.com/