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Between Reform and Dependency: IFI Influence on Egyptian Food Sovereignty

This thesis examines how international financial institutions (IFIs), particularly the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, have influenced Egyptian food sovereignty between 2016 and 2024. It asks how IFI-backed structural adjustment programs, policy influence, and ideational influe...

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Main Author: Ayman Abouelfarh, Nayera
Format: Thesis
Published: AUC Knowledge Fountain 2026
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access_status_str Open Access
author Ayman Abouelfarh, Nayera
author_browse Ayman Abouelfarh, Nayera
author_facet Ayman Abouelfarh, Nayera
author_sort Ayman Abouelfarh, Nayera
collection Thesis
description This thesis examines how international financial institutions (IFIs), particularly the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, have influenced Egyptian food sovereignty between 2016 and 2024. It asks how IFI-backed structural adjustment programs, policy influence, and ideational influence reshaped Egyptian public policy and affected the state’s capacity to autonomously manage its food system. The thesis argues that IFI-driven reform agendas prioritized macroeconomic stabilization, fiscal discipline, and export-oriented growth over food sovereignty, increasing Egypt’s external dependence and vulnerability to global market shocks. Methodologically, the study employs a qualitative comparative case study design combining process tracing and thematic document analysis using MAXQDA. The analysis is based on IMF and World Bank reports, Egyptian policy documents, legislation, and macroeconomic and agricultural data. The empirical analysis is structured around three policy domains: state governance of food subsidies and price controls; trade, foreign exchange policy, and import dependence; and domestic agricultural production and procurement. The findings demonstrate that IFI- backed reforms constrained the state’s capacity to regulate food access, intensified dependence on imports and foreign exchange, and promoted export-oriented agricultural policies without resolving structural food dependency. The thesis concludes that food sovereignty in Egypt has been increasingly shaped by global financial governance and neoliberal reform paradigms, limiting the state’s autonomous control over its food system.
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institution American University in Cairo (Egypt)
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:36:04.810Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from AUC Knowledge Fountain — bepress
publishDate 2026
publishDateRange 2026
publishDateSort 2026
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source_str AUC Knowledge Fountain — bepress
spelling oai:fount.aucegypt.edu:etds-3850 Between Reform and Dependency: IFI Influence on Egyptian Food Sovereignty Ayman Abouelfarh, Nayera This thesis examines how international financial institutions (IFIs), particularly the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, have influenced Egyptian food sovereignty between 2016 and 2024. It asks how IFI-backed structural adjustment programs, policy influence, and ideational influence reshaped Egyptian public policy and affected the state’s capacity to autonomously manage its food system. The thesis argues that IFI-driven reform agendas prioritized macroeconomic stabilization, fiscal discipline, and export-oriented growth over food sovereignty, increasing Egypt’s external dependence and vulnerability to global market shocks. Methodologically, the study employs a qualitative comparative case study design combining process tracing and thematic document analysis using MAXQDA. The analysis is based on IMF and World Bank reports, Egyptian policy documents, legislation, and macroeconomic and agricultural data. The empirical analysis is structured around three policy domains: state governance of food subsidies and price controls; trade, foreign exchange policy, and import dependence; and domestic agricultural production and procurement. The findings demonstrate that IFI- backed reforms constrained the state’s capacity to regulate food access, intensified dependence on imports and foreign exchange, and promoted export-oriented agricultural policies without resolving structural food dependency. The thesis concludes that food sovereignty in Egypt has been increasingly shaped by global financial governance and neoliberal reform paradigms, limiting the state’s autonomous control over its food system. 2026-06-11T07:00:00Z thesis application/pdf https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/2788 https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/3850/viewcontent/Nayera_Ayman_Abouelfarh_Thesis.pdf Theses and Dissertations AUC Knowledge Fountain Food Sovereignty; International Financial Institutions (IFIs); Egypt; Structural Adjustment Programs; IMF; Food Governance; Exchange Rate Liberalization; Agricultural Policy; Import Dependency; Macroeconomic Reform
spellingShingle Food Sovereignty; International Financial Institutions (IFIs); Egypt; Structural Adjustment Programs; IMF; Food Governance; Exchange Rate Liberalization; Agricultural Policy; Import Dependency; Macroeconomic Reform
Ayman Abouelfarh, Nayera
Between Reform and Dependency: IFI Influence on Egyptian Food Sovereignty
title Between Reform and Dependency: IFI Influence on Egyptian Food Sovereignty
title_full Between Reform and Dependency: IFI Influence on Egyptian Food Sovereignty
title_fullStr Between Reform and Dependency: IFI Influence on Egyptian Food Sovereignty
title_full_unstemmed Between Reform and Dependency: IFI Influence on Egyptian Food Sovereignty
title_short Between Reform and Dependency: IFI Influence on Egyptian Food Sovereignty
title_sort between reform and dependency ifi influence on egyptian food sovereignty
topic Food Sovereignty; International Financial Institutions (IFIs); Egypt; Structural Adjustment Programs; IMF; Food Governance; Exchange Rate Liberalization; Agricultural Policy; Import Dependency; Macroeconomic Reform
url https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/2788
https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/3850/viewcontent/Nayera_Ayman_Abouelfarh_Thesis.pdf
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