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The Niger Famine

A Collapse of Entitlements and Democratic Responsiveness

University of Copenhagen, Denmark, or{at}ifs.ku.dk

By applying a widely accepted method for famine operationalization, the 2005 food crisis in Niger is categorized as a famine. This presents a unique opportunity to assess Amartya Sen's two most important famine contributions: (1) the entitlement framework for famine analysis; and (2) the hypothesis of a positive effect of democracy on famine protection. The fact that the Niger famine was caused by unfavorable terms of trade rather than a collapse in food production supports the focus of the entitlement framework on access to food; nevertheless, the belated and inadequate response to the crisis from the democratically elected Nigerien government appears to undermine the link between a pluralistic political system and effective famine protection.

Key Words: democracy • entitlement approach • famine • famine operationalization • Niger

Journal of Asian and African Studies, Vol. 44, No. 3, 279-298 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0021909609102899


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