| Description |
In the 1950s the United States passed Public Law 480 and officially took up the cause of international food aid. Today, the United States is the largest provider of food assistance in the world accounting for over 50% of all aid. While other counties have stepped back or shifted their commitments to cash transfers, PL 480 Title II continues to provide the majority of emergency and non-emergency food abroad. This paper will attempt to untangle the complex relationship between the maritime industry, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) . Official statements made by these contributors, GAO reports, and the political environment surrounding debated changes to PL 480 Title II will l help uncover what drives food aid policy in the United States . Using James C. Scott's theory presented in Domination and the Art of Resistance (1990), I show that the maritime industry developed what he terms a "public transcript" with the goal of protecting the status quo whereas NGOs, as the oppressed group, will create a "hidden transcript" seeking to change the current program to increase the impact of the U.S. food aid system. Scott's theory helps shed light on the power dynamics of who controls U.S. food aid and why little change has occurred in the last sixty years. |
