Book
The Political Economy of Hunger

Famine Prevention : Volume 2

This book is the second of three volumes. Every year millions of people are losing their lives around the world, undeterred by the widespread opulence and remarkably higher per capita income, because of sporadic famines, endemic undernourishment, and destitution; let alone those hundreds of millions leading lives of never-ending vulnerability and want. This book is a collection of twenty six chapters in three volumes. There are six chapters in this second volume. The book attempts to explore many of the vague phenomena as to the characteristics, causation, and possible antidotes of hunger in the contemporary world. By carrying out both analytical and empirical investigations, it dwells on the need for a broader perspective for better understanding of the reasons and remedies of hunger

Table of contents
  1. 1. Famine Prevention in India
    Jean Drèze
    More Working Paper | Famine Prevention in India
  2. 2. Famine Prevention in Africa: Some Experiences and Lessons
    Jean Drèze
  3. 3. Ethiopian Famines 1973-1985: A Case-Study
    Gopalakrishna Kumar
    More Working Paper | Ethiopian Famines 1973-1985
  4. 4. Modelling an Early Warning System for Famines
    Meghnad Desai
  5. 5. Market Responses to Anti-Hunger Policies: Effects on Wages, Prices and Employment
    Martin Ravallion
    More Working Paper | Market Responses to Anti-Hunger Policies
  6. 6. The Food Crisis in Africa: A Comparative Structural Analysis
    Jean-Philippe Platteau
    More Working Paper | The Food Crisis in Africa
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Endorsements

'Sen and his associates deserve a lot of credit for bucking the general trend.' - Times Higher Education Supplement

'the authors are highly respected and the series draws on an extraordinary data base and comparison between countries. Bringing all this together is Amartya Sen. Lamont University Professor at Harvard, who has an unparalleled reputation for his work on famine, equity, and development economics ... This series forms the most definitive recent analysis of the problems of hunger and deprivation in the three continents of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The range of issues and countries covered is nothing short of extraordinary.' - Dissent

'This is an uncommonly fine collection of papers by prominent authors. A valuable addition to upper-division undergraduate and graduate collections in development economics.' - C.L. Nelson, Davidson College, CHOICE, Dec

'The volumes will become a standard reference for research in the field of hunger, famines and poverty and some of the papers are appropriate for reading lists in under- and post-graduate courses. The value of the approach to famine and hunger developed by Sen and Dreze ultimately lies in case studies.' - Athar Hussain, London School of Economics, The Economic Journal, Dec '91

'a considerable, and highly stimulating contribution.' - Pramit Chaudhuri, University of Sussex, The Journal of Development Studies, Vol. 28, No. 2, Jan

'Unquestionably the most satisfying book - although on a very grim subject - that I read this year is the two-volume The Political Economy of Hunger edited by Amartya Sen and Jean Dreze.' - Indian Review of Books, Oct.

'This is obviously an important book with immediate implications for countless lives. Those who choose not to turn its pages will be deprived of an intellectual treat.' - John Komlos, University of Pittsburgh, Journal of Economic Literature, Vol. XXX (September 1992)

'The array of articles in all three Drèze and Sen volumes is astounding.' - Thomas R. DeGregori, University of Houston, Africa Today, 4th Quarter 1992

'the most ambitious treatment of the intertwined issues of hunger, famines and well-being currently in print ... Drèze and Sen's collection is a massive achievement and will doubtless become an obligatory reference for every student on the subject. Certain essays, notably those by Jean Drèze himself, should also become obligatory reading for all practitioners in the field.' - Development and Change, Vol. 24 (1993)

'A must for the study of poverty and famine.' - Arabsheibani, London School of Economics