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Synopsis This book presents an analysis of the enduring problem of hunger in the modern world, and of the role of public action in meeting this challenge. Public action is understood to involve not only the activities of the state, but also those of opposition parties, civic organizations and the public at large. Drawing on a wealth of case studies, the authors discuss a wide range of issues relating to the eradication of hunger and famines, including the economic, social and political antecedents of world hunger, the relation between nutritional deprivation and human well-being, the strategy of famine prevention, the connections between economic growth and public support, the influence of class and gender conflicts, the role of adversarial politics, and the relationship between state action and public action. This scholarly and insightful study will be of much interest to social scientists, policy-makers, development experts and all those concerned with the eradication of hunger and deprivation in the modern world.