Book Chapter
The Politics of Hunger and Entitlement

Access to food depends on food supply, the ability to establish entitlement over food, production, market transaction, and household political power. Hunger originates in ‘entitlement failures’ bearing community specificity rather than household-specificity features. While emphasizing the political influences on a state's direct contribution to entitlements, this chapter tries to establish a causal nexus between politics, hunger, and entitlement. In general, much of the entitlement is generated by the state through aid, subsidy, employment, public distribution of commodities, and incomes. A developing country's control over entitlement depends on external and internal political influences, and policies often become functions of political priority or compulsions. The chapter argues that to raise a household's entitlement level, significant action of a political nature is necessary.