Making Food Democracy: Context, Governance, and the Politics of Urban Food Transitions in Europe

Urban food systems are increasingly recognised as pivotal sites for confronting global sustainability challenges. While a growing body of literature documents local food policy initiatives, comparative analyses often under-theorise the role of context in shaping governance outcomes. This paper addresses this gap by investigating how different national political-economic contexts condition the pursuit of urban food democracy. Through a qualitative comparative study of eight cities across the United Kingdom, Sweden, France, and Spain, all participants in the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact and/or similar city networks, the paper analyses how cities navigate the transition towards more sustainable, just, and participatory food systems. The research design leverages a "most different systems" comparison, selecting countries that represent distinct varieties of welfare regimes: liberal (UK), social-democratic (Sweden), Mediterranean (Spain), and state-led corporatist (France). Using in-depth interviews, document analysis, and participatory observation, the analysis connects macro-level institutional structures with local governance practices and highlights a crucial meso-level where civil society organisations mediate between state institutions and citizens. Within this evolving landscape, institutional innovations such as Food Policy Councils are emerging, creating new spaces for negotiation, deliberation, and shared decision-making in food governance. Our findings reveal that cities' capacity to promote greater urban food resilience and justice is not only a function of local action but is also deeply mediated by the national political economy. Context-sensitive analysis is central to understanding urban food transitions, going beyond standardised models to recognise the strategic work needed to reinterpret and overcome structural constraints.