Book Chapter
Introduction

This first volume is a collection of ten chapters dealing with nutritional, economic, social, and political aspects of the problem of world hunger that serve as background for policy analysis. It covers issues such as the characteristics and causal antecedents of famines and endemic deprivation, the interconnections between economic and political factors, the role of social relations and family, female deprivation, the link between food consumption and other aspects of living standards, the medical aspects of undernourishment and its consequences, and the political background of public policy.