Starvation and Social Class: Amartya Sen on Markets and Famines

Mark Peacock

Review of Political Economy, 2010, vol. 22, issue 1, 57-73

Abstract: In his recent work, Amartya Sen assesses markets positively because they contribute to freedom. His work on famines, however, harbours a critical stance toward markets. In this paper, I compare Sen's 'two views' of markets and argue that his positive assessment is untenable. Markets can undermine freedom and, to show this, I examine the effects of market-dependence in times of famine; I extend the purview of Sen's analysis to include the manner in which subsistence producers who were once relatively autonomous from markets for their survival become dependent on markets. In conclusion, I examine the normative aspects of Sen's work on famines.

Date: 2010
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DOI: 10.1080/09538250903391988

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