First World Hunger: Food Security and Welfare Politics

Published Under the Garamond Imprint

Hunger and undernutrition are widespread in many advanced capitalist societies. Hunger is now publicly acceptable despite undermining common standards of human decency and abro-gating the basic right of people to adequate food as guaranteed in domestic and international law.

First World Hunger examines this crisis and the politics and practice of food security and welfare reform (1980-1995) in five liberal welfare states (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the US). Through national case studies it explores the nature and causes of hunger, its neglect by governments, the breakdown of public welfare, the depoliticization of hunger as a human rights issue and the failure of New Right policies and charitable emergency relief to guarantee household food security. Alternative policies and strategies of public action directed at the abolition of hunger are discussed.

The publication of First World Hunger is a timely and important contribution to the debate about hunger and poverty in advanced market economies.