OUR NEWS

Fair Prices: Prices based on Human Rights (2023)

In this new paper of Ruud Bronkhorst reasons are given why Fair Prices are essential to obtain a Living Income for small producers and a Living Wage for workers. Arguments are given that a moral obligation exists for companies and governments to pay Fair Prices. This obligation is based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations in 1948 and on the worldwide challenge of Climate Change. The concepts Living Wage and Living Income can be instrumental in meeting this obligation. That helps to answer the question how we can assure workers of a sufficient income.

Several effects of the implementation of Fair Prices on workers, producers, child labour, environment, and the local economy are discussed. The Living Income / Fair Price approach is explained, and advantages and disadvantages of other Living Income Reference Price Models are discussed. 

The paper can be downloaded here. 

Fair-trade coffee: how fair is fair? (2022)

A new publication on Fair Prices by Ruud Bronkhorst has been published as a chapter of the book 'Climate-smart production of coffee - Improving social and environmental sustainability', edited by Professor Reinhold Muschler, CATIE, Cost Rica: Fair-trade coffee: how fair is fair?

The book has been published by Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing in the in Burleigh Dodds Series in Agricultural Science 

The publication in now available at this website with permission of the Burleigh Dodds. Download here.

Presentation by Ruud Bronkhorst on 'The Economics of Human Rights, Using the Living Income / Fair price Approach to Combat Poverty' at a Fair Price/Living Income webinar (September 2021)

The webinar on 'Achieving Fair Prices and Living incomes in Global value Chains through Public Policies in Europe' was organised by the Fair Trade Advocacy Office in Brussels in cooperation with the Sustainable Food Lab, GIZ, and with financial support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Why the European Union should include Fair Prices in its policies (2021) by Ruud Bronkhorst 

In order to make payment of Fair Prices and Wages to workers and producers worldwide compulsory, InfoBridge published an article in ‘Hunger Explained?’ urging the European Commission to introduce legislation to enforce the payment of Fair Prices and Wages to producers and workers. This should make it impossible for companies to compete with one another on low wages.

The Economics of Human Rights - Using the Living Income/Fair Price Approach to Combat Poverty (2020) by Ruud Bronkhorst

The book provides an introduction to the Living Income / Fair Price approach, a price theory based on ethics and Universal Human Rights. Many workers in industry, as well as smallholder farmers do not have enough income to feed themselves and their families. 

Fair Producer Prices (2019)

Paper to the 93rd Annual Conference of the Agricultural Economics Society (AES), University of Warwick, April 2019
In order to ensure that peasants as well receive just remuneration for their work as described in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a paradigm change in thinking about producer prices is needed: from market prices to ‘fair’ prices.

Fair Prices to Achieve a Living Income for Small Farmers and Its Relation to Local Food Purchase Programs (2018)

Based on the Living Income concept, a methodology has been developed to calculate ‘fair’ prices for peasants for different crops. Application of this method can guide both policy makers and companies in their development of ‘ethical’ policies, based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Des prix équitables pour un revenu vital (2017)

Les conditions de vie des petits producteurs sont un aspect de la production alimentaire qui n’a pas, jusqu’à ce jour, reçu l’attention qu’elle mérite. Il y a un large consensus sur le fait que les petits agriculteurs produisent avec un rendement à l’hectare plus grand que celui obtenu par les grandes exploitations (IFPRI).

Guide How to Calculate Fair Prices (2016)

InfoBridge published the 'Guide How to Calculate Fair Prices' (2016) by Ruud Bronkhorst. In the Guide a practical example is given how to calculate Fair Prices for agricultural products originating from small-holders.

Fair Prices: Peasants and the possibilities of a Living Income (2013) by Ruud Bronkhorst

After a brief discussion of the main approaches to the concept of the ‘Living Wage’ (LW), a methodology is developed how to apply this concept to the case of peasants. Since peasants do not receive a wage, the Living Wage definition is adapted to that of a ‘Living Income’ (LI).