Advancing Urban Food System Change in Munich – from Grassroots Initiatives to Regime Resistance?
Keywords
Loading...
Authors
Issue Date
2025-08-15
Language
en
Document type
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Title
ISSN
Volume
Issue
Startpage
Endpage
DOI
Abstract
This thesis examines the dynamics between civil society and municipal governance in advancing urban food system transformation, using Munich’s Food Policy Council (Münchner Ernährungsrat, MER) as a case study. Guided by Geels’ (2014) framework on regime resistance, the research investigates why some MER proposals are adopted by the municipality while others remain sidelined. The research draws on document analysis, participant observation, and secondary sources to map municipal commitments and discursive framings against MER’s strategic demands.
The findings reveal partial alignment between the MER’s proposals and municipal initiatives in project-based areas such as the House of Food and Zero-Waste measures. However, the city’s overall approach to urban food system change remains fragmented, with little evidence on the structural anchoring of food policy across departments.
Evidence on instrumental resistance is found in the selective adoption of low-impact measures; discursive resistance emerges through framing food issues primarily as matters of individual responsibility; material resistance appears in delayed or withheld allocation of resources; and institutional resistance is reflected in entrenched governance patterns that officially enable participation but eventually limit its influence. The study concludes that without structural anchoring of food policy, transformative potential remains constrained. Recommendations are offered for strengthening institutional openness and designing governance mechanisms that embed civil society contributions into long-term urban food strategies.
Description
Citation
Supervisor
Faculty
Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen