A Primer on the Economics of Supply Management and Food Supply Chains

The objective of this document is to provide non-economists the analytical tools to understand the economics of Canada's supply management programs. It begins with an overview of Canada's supply management programs and a discussion about their history. It then provides a review of basic economic concepts needed to understand how supply management policies affect the behavior of agents along supply chains. Interprovincial and international issues are discussed and differences between supply chains with and without supply management are analyzed.