This paper surveys some of the key themes in European agricultural policy research in recent decades. It identifies three main drivers of this research: a gradual broadening of the scope of the discipline in response to changing political priorities and values; an enlarged toolbox of policy...

Direct payments maintain a fundamental role in the future CAP, since they still absorb a high share of the CAP budget. However, despite some confirmations (mainly related to internal convergence, types of interventions and the role of genuine/active farmers), several relevant innovations (e.g.,...

The most important element in the recent reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, which is intended to reduce the concentration of aid distributed under the direct support system, is the so-called redistributive payment. The redistributive effects of this instrument depend on its specific form...