What are the internationally dominant principles and norms regarding the causes of hunger and the ways to eradicate it? Following this 'hunger regime,' what activities do the main international actors undertake to fight world hunger? What kinds of programs do they adopt or advocate? And finally, what is the impact of these programs on the incidence of hunger in the world?

This book analyzes the international organization of hunger as well as its effects on the incidence of hunger. It is an international political economy study, situating itself in the theoretical debates of the discipline. Yet, to analyze its subject matter, it uses a variety of other disciplines, such as trade and development economics, demography, international finance and political science.

Four distinct issue areas that are globally upheld as solutions to the problem of world hunger make up the core of this book. It contains an analysis of the international regime of these issue areas, the main ongoing processes in them, and their impact on hunger. The first one - assistance to family planning - is generally considered part of the long-term solution to the hunger problem.

It aims not to increase the entitlements available to individuals, but rather to decrease the number of the 'entitled.' The second one consists of development aid to increase LDC agricultural production. The international regime which is currently dominant is the liberal, export-oriented one contained in structural adjustment policy reform. This book proposes an analysis of the origins and nature of structural adjustment as well as its impact on poverty and hunger. The third issue area is food trade. It accounts for around 95 per cent of all the food that flows between nations, and constitutes an important international issue of relevance to this study.

Food aid, finally, is the transfer of food on concessional terms from one country to another. It accounts for the remaining 5 per cent of international food flows (10 per cent to the poorest countries) and is commonly associated with efforts to end hunger and to promote development. The book analyzes its regime and process, as well as their effects on hunger