Hunger in the Contemporary World

Economic analysis of hunger calls for an informationally broad approach that takes adequate account of the distinct interdependences involved. This paper examines the interdependences between (1) income and food consumption, (2) operations of different economic sectors, (3) production and trade in different countries, (4) macroeconomic stability and food security, (5) intrafamily distributional rules and the sharing of food and health care, (6) women's power and fertility behaviour, (7) military expenditure and economic deprivation, (8) early undernourishment and its consequences on health and skills, (9) political incentives and the direction of government policy, and (10) public activism and social commitment. The implications of these interconnections are briefly discussed.