Starvation and India’s Democracy

Starvation and India’s DemocracyNOTE: Shipping for this item is FREE, please allow 15 days for shipping. As its shipped from our Auckland warehouse there is no unexpected import charges, custom duties or taxes. Condition: BRAND NEW ISBN: 9780415544658 Year: 2009 Publisher: Taylor & Francis Description: This book analyzes Indias impressive efforts in responding to sensational and easily visible disasters in contrast to the silent emergency of drought induced under nutrition and

NOTE: Shipping for this item is FREE, please allow 15 days for shipping. As its shipped from our Auckland warehouse there is no unexpected import charges, custom duties or taxes.

Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9780415544658
Year: 2009
Publisher: Taylor & Francis


Description:

This book analyzes India’s impressive efforts in responding to sensational and easily visible disasters in contrast to the ‘silent emergency’ of drought-induced under nutrition and starvation deaths. Building on Amartya Sen’s famous claim that no famine has ever occurred in a democratic country, it re-examines the relationship between democracy, public action and famine prevention. Drawing on both quantitative and qualitative data in India at national, state and local levels as well as in-depth field visits to two states on India’s east coast, Orissa and West Bengal, the author analyzes the following issues:

• the interaction between specific institutions in India and their accountability to the public


• the role of the media in highlighting problems of extreme poverty and destitution and the effectiveness of political and administrative responses to such reports


• the extent to which tribal groups are vulnerable to starvation and famine, and an analysis of whether starvation deaths in drought-prone Kalahandi district in Orissa are unique in India


• the impact of two major nutrition programmes, the Public Distribution System (PDS) and the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), in reducing the incidence, duration and impact of starvation deaths.

Starvation and India’s Democracy will be of interest to researchers in economics, political science, philosophy, development studies and South Asian studies.