Spencer Henson is an applied economist whose interests are centred on the economics and political economy of agri-food standards. He has undertaken research across 40 countries and worked with a wide range of standards and development institutions and organisations.
He is recognised as an expert internationally on agri-food standards and developing countries, as well as on the economics of regulation and standards in the area of food and agriculture more generally.
The Business and Development Centre (BDC) brings together thinking from business, economics, political science and development studies to tackle critical questions on the role of business in development, focusing initially on agriculture, food and nutrition, the green economy and public health.
The project aims to help reduce undernutrition by informing policy and providing tools to make food and agricultural systems more ‘nutrition-sensitive’.
This research will identify the key factors driving the effectivness of public-private partnerships (PPPs) at bringing sustained increases in income for smallholder farmers at scale and delivering positive development outcomes across rural communities.
The objective of the research is to develop capacity and an analytical approach for the analysis of value chains-based initiatives aimed at enhancing access and consumption of nutritious foods by the poor and to use this learning to develop research proposals on leveraging value chains for...
IDS Bulletin 49.1
There is increasing interest in the role that businesses can play in promoting the consumption of nutrient-dense foods as part of strategies to reduce the prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies in developing countries. To date, however, there has been little in-depth analysis of the extent to...
30 January 2018
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This article offers insights into assessing the effectiveness of post farm-gate agri-food value chains at improving the nutrition intake of vulnerable groups. It develops a conceptual framework integrating the value chain concepts with agriculture and nutrition, and identifies key outcomes and...
11 January 2017
IDS Bulletin Vol. 42 Nos. 5
The UK Public Opinion Monitor (UKPOM) provides a unique opportunity to explore changes in attitudes of the UK public over time. This article presents findings from the UKPOM on how people in the UK have experienced the financial crisis and how, if at all, this has caused them to think...
8 January 2016
LANSA Working Paper Series 4
South Asia has experienced rapid economic growth, yet it still has the highest rate of child malnutrition in the world, and half the population is undernourished. This paper lays out a conceptual framework to guide the analysis of value chain-based interventions aimed at enhancing the intake of...
31 December 2015
The debate on the role of business, markets and states in development has a long history, marked by divergent and often strongly held perspectives, but also relatively rapid shifts in understanding about what is feasible and desirable. Only two decades ago debates were framed in terms...
Our health and nutrition work brings new understanding and action on health tackling epidemics, antimicrobial resistance and zoonotic diseases. We generate new evidence and analysis on nutrition issues including dietary transition, globalisation of food systems, and responding to the ways that...