Nobel Laureate Dr. Amertya Sen displayed a very compelling account of famine problems in this book. It gives the relationship of famine to poverty and focused on causes of starvation. The book is divided into three sections: Understanding about poverty and starvation in simple manner, Case Studies, Economical theory and formulas .In this book, Dr. Sen puts the complex topic in simple way. Dr. Amertya Sen explained famine cycle of various parts of world during 20th Century and displayed picture about causes and effects of each case presented.
In starting of the book, Sen, ”Starvation is the characteristic of some people not having enough food to eat. It is not the characteristic of there being not enough food to eat.” The book basically explained …show more content…
Sen argued people suffered food deprivation not because of decline in national food availability, but because of decline of food entitlement. There was no decline at all in Bangladesh while in Ethiopian and Sahel countries decline was too small to encountered famine. Then what is the root of deprivation? Sen mentioned difficult point that is how the drought affected their right to food. Farmers produced less food for their consumption and had less purchasing power to buy the food from abroad. Also many labours lost their job. In addition there was death of animals as result of drought which leads to decline in meat prices. Thus, according to Sen’s theory, failure of exchange entitlement is due to decline in purchasing power and significant price rise in famine …show more content…
The author unable to prove the situation if food price remains stable, it would have been possible to conclude that famine caused by Food Account availability. But if the demand is inelastic, small decline in food supply at national level can lead to large increase in price. In case of Bangladesh famine, main victims were landless labours who lost their purchasing power. The lack of employment opportunity, alleviation of land by small landholder by flood and sharp increase in price of rice result into failure of exchange entitlement. Sen clarify that food exchange entitlement (FEE) is the proper characteristic of what has occurred than food account availability. By FEE approach one can find direct cause of occurring famine. There was drastic decline in food aid as result of sharp decline in government’s ability to do proper food distribution, rising world market prices, reduction in imports and occurrence of flood. . It gives important facts to the world that prevention of famine is easier but it is the government who have not taken interest to prevent
In starting of the book, Sen, ”Starvation is the characteristic of some people not having enough food to eat. It is not the characteristic of there being not enough food to eat.” The book basically explained …show more content…
Sen argued people suffered food deprivation not because of decline in national food availability, but because of decline of food entitlement. There was no decline at all in Bangladesh while in Ethiopian and Sahel countries decline was too small to encountered famine. Then what is the root of deprivation? Sen mentioned difficult point that is how the drought affected their right to food. Farmers produced less food for their consumption and had less purchasing power to buy the food from abroad. Also many labours lost their job. In addition there was death of animals as result of drought which leads to decline in meat prices. Thus, according to Sen’s theory, failure of exchange entitlement is due to decline in purchasing power and significant price rise in famine …show more content…
The author unable to prove the situation if food price remains stable, it would have been possible to conclude that famine caused by Food Account availability. But if the demand is inelastic, small decline in food supply at national level can lead to large increase in price. In case of Bangladesh famine, main victims were landless labours who lost their purchasing power. The lack of employment opportunity, alleviation of land by small landholder by flood and sharp increase in price of rice result into failure of exchange entitlement. Sen clarify that food exchange entitlement (FEE) is the proper characteristic of what has occurred than food account availability. By FEE approach one can find direct cause of occurring famine. There was drastic decline in food aid as result of sharp decline in government’s ability to do proper food distribution, rising world market prices, reduction in imports and occurrence of flood. . It gives important facts to the world that prevention of famine is easier but it is the government who have not taken interest to prevent