Senior Project Advisor
Phil Pendergast
Document Type
Project - Campus-only Access
Publication Date
Fall 2024
Keywords
food insecurity, food waste, local policy
Abstract
This work’s analysis of policy approaches to food waste and food insecurity is conducted using the theoretical framework of Peter Blau, which examines exchange relationships within society. Blau’s social exchange theory posits that social behavior and interactions between people can be better understood by presuming that each respective party, consciously or unconsciously, engages in a cost-benefit analysis in order to determine whether a given course of action is in their own best interest. These costs and benefits are not just economic, but deal with intangible exchanges of resources like status, information, and a sense of belonging. By extending these ideas into the socioeconomic performances of society, we can begin to investigate how policy and market decisions are based on economically rational cost-benefit analyses that may not take into account how communities, local economies, and local ecologies are shaped by these decisions.
Department
Sociology
Recommended Citation
Miller, Alexander D., "Food and Mutualistic Exchange" (2024). WWU Honors College Senior Projects. 899.
https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwu_honors/899
Type
Text
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
