Amartya Sen's central argument is that famines are not primarily caused by a lack of food supply, but by the failure of people to command food through legitimate means. He introduces the "entitlement approach" to analyze starvation and famines, focusing on ownership and exchange rather than aggregate food availability. This approach examines how individuals and groups gain access to food through their legal rights and economic positions.
The book analyzes the characterization and measurement of poverty, critically examining existing methods from economics, sociology, and political theory. Sen highlights the importance of distributional issues, such as disparities between different occupation groups, in understanding both poverty and starvation. Readers gain an understanding of poverty and famine causation through an analysis of ownership, exchange, and distributional dynamics, moving beyond simple food supply considerations.
Key concepts
- Entitlement approach — A method of analyzing starvation and famines by concentrating on ownership and exchange, not solely on food supply.
- Ownership and exchange — Key elements in Sen's entitlement approach, determining how individuals command food.
- Distributional issues — The analysis of how resources, including food, are spread among different groups in society, critical for understanding poverty and starvation.