Jennifer Clapp holds a Canada Research Chair in Global Food Security and Sustainability in the Environment and Resource Studies Department at the University of Waterloo. She also serves as the Associate Dean for Research in the Faculty of Environment at Waterloo. Dr. Clapp received her BA in Economics from the University of Michigan and her MSc and PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics.
Throughout her career, Dr. Clapp’s research has focused on the global governance of problems that arise at the intersection of the global economy, the environment, and food security. In particular, her research has centred on questions of how international economic policies can better foster food security and environmental sustainability goals on a global scale. She takes an interdisciplinary approach to her research, combining insights from political science, international relations, economics, environmental studies and food studies.
Dr. Clapp is author or editor of 9 books and over 70 journal articles and book chapters. Her recent books include Food (Polity, 2012); Hunger in the Balance: The New Politics of International Food Aid (Cornell University Press, 2012); Paths to a Green World: The Political Economy of the Global Environment (MIT Press, 2011, 2nd edn); The Global Food Crisis: Governance Challenges and Opportunities (WLU Press, 2009); and Corporate Power in Global Agrifood Governance (MIT Press, 2009). She served as co-editor of the journal Global Environmental Politics from 2007- 2012 and was previously associate editor of the journal from 2000-2007. She received the 2012 Award for Excellence in Research from the Canadian Association for Food Studies and her book, Hunger in the Balance, was shortlisted for the 2012 Donner Prize. Dr. Clapp has carried out consulting work for the World Food Programme, the Canadian International Development Agency, and Oxfam Great Britain. She is also a regular blogger for the Triple Crisis website.