Food Security in Less Developed Countries, 1970 to 1990

Abstract

Despite a globalfood surplus, almost half of the world's less developed countries suffer significant problems concerning food. Most social science and policy discussions offood security make the "food availability" assumption that increased food supply is the key to reducing hunger. Critics argue, however, that increased food supply has little impact on hunger and that the primary culprits are entrenched inequality and militarism. A lagged panel analysis offood supply and child hunger rates (1970-1990) shows that the food supply has only modest effects on child hunger rates and that food supply is structurally rooted in development processes (domestic investment, urban bias, foreign capital penetration) while child hunger is politically based in arms imports, internal violence and political democratization. Population pressure, tapped by increased age dependency, undermines both the supply offood and the population's access to it, and cultural dualism magnifies the effects of population pressure on child hunger. The effects of economic growth "trickle down" to affect both food supply and child hunger, and economic growth is also positively correlated with political democratization, suggesting there is no short-term "trade-off" between growth, democratization, and social equity. OOD IS THE MOST basic of human needs and is central to the discussion of human rights and social development (Brandt 1986; Dreze, Sen, and Hussain 1995; Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations [FAO] 1996a; Kutzner 1991). Despite the "green revolution" and the significant growth in international food aid and assistance, between 1970 and 1990 almost half of the world's less developed countries

Political Economy, Capability Development, and Fundamental Cause: Integrating Perspectives on Child Health in Developing Countries

“…Scholars and policymakers assume that the benefits of economic development "trickle down" to influence health and well-being (Jenkins and Scanlan 2001). But this may not be the case for particularly acute health issues like diarrhea.…”

“…Through tax evasion and disguising taxable profits, TNCs reduce the government resources that would otherwise fund health and social services (Wimberley 1990). For these reasons, many scholars show that foreign trade and/or investment adversely affect mortality and food security (e.g., Shen and Williamson 2001;Jenkins and Scanlan 2001;Wimberley 1990;Wimberley and Bello 1992).…”

“…They persuasively demonstrate just how powerful economic development is by showing that GDP is the only variable with consistent and robust effects on all health outcomes. Jenkins and Scanlan (2001) similarly contend that economic development increases the food supply and reduces child malnutrition, even controlling for an extensive set of relevant variables. Numerous other scholars orient their analyses around economic development and find that it significantly influences wellbeing in developing countries (e.g., Pritchett and Summers 1996;Hertzman and Siddiqi 2000).…”

Capital Movements and Environmental Harms

“…The vast majority of prior research that tests hypotheses derived from this theory investigates the effects of foreign investment dependence on domestic income inequality, economic development, food security, and other social outcomes (e.g. Alderson and Nielsen 1999;Dixon and Boswell 1996;Jenkins and Scanlan 2001;London and Smith 1988). Building on this area of scholarship, a growing number of environmental sociologists have begun to theorize about and investigate the extent to which foreign investment dependence impacts the environment in less-developed countries (e.g.…”

Two essays on foreign direct investment and food security in Nigeria: A mixed methods approach.

“…Development Goals (MDGs)13 provide micro level indicators, such as infant mortality (Firebaugh & Beck, 1994); the role of women in society (Shen & Williamson, 1997); life expectancy (Veenhoven, 1996); health and nutrition (Strauss & Thomas, 1998); and food security (Firebaugh & Beck, 1994;Jenkins & Scanlan, 2001). …”