Food Insecurity and Political Stability: Cross-Country Evidence

Neema Amani U.

Faculty of Business and Management Kampala International University Uganda

                                                                                       ABSTRACT
Food insecurity has emerged as one of the most significant socio-economic challenges influencing political stability across countries. Beyond its humanitarian consequences, inadequate access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food has profound implications for governance, social cohesion, and state legitimacy. This review examines the relationship between food insecurity and political stability using cross-country evidence, emphasizing the mechanisms through which food insecurity contributes to protests, civil unrest, regime instability, and violent conflict. It explores the theoretical foundations linking food insecurity to political outcomes, highlighting how rising food prices, declining household purchasing power, resource competition, and weakened government legitimacy generate public grievances and increase the likelihood of collective action against political authorities. Drawing on panel data covering up to 165 countries between 1990 and 2019, the review synthesizes empirical evidence demonstrating that higher levels of food insecurity are consistently associated with greater political instability, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Regional comparisons reveal that the magnitude of these effects varies considerably, with African countries experiencing the strongest negative relationship between food insecurity and regime stability, while more moderate effects are observed in Oceania and the Americas. The review further examines the moderating roles of governance quality, institutional capacity, social protection systems, and economic development in shaping political responses to food insecurity. Policy options including price stabilization, agricultural productivity enhancement, climate-resilient food systems, strengthened social safety nets, governance reforms, and international cooperation are assessed as critical strategies for mitigating both food insecurity and political instability. Although robustness tests generally confirm the empirical findings, methodological limitations relating to measurement, endogeneity, and regional heterogeneity underscore the need for further comparative research. Overall, the evidence demonstrates that strengthening food security is not only a humanitarian and developmental priority but also an essential foundation for political stability, effective governance, and sustainable peace across diverse national contexts.

Keywords: Food insecurity, Political stability, Food prices, Governance and Cross-country analysis.

CITE AS: Neema Amani U. (2026). Food Insecurity and Political Stability: Cross-Country Evidence. IDOSR JOURNAL OF ARTS AND MANAGEMENT 11(2):90-94.
https:/doi.org/10.59298/IDOSRJAM/2026/112.9094