Fighting Hunger Things that Really Matter

Abstract

Ending hunger by 2030 is a global commitment. The Global Hunger Index (GHI) Report 2017 tells us there is still a long way to go. After every such report there is a flurry of activity advocating more state intervention into micro issues. While these are well intentioned, a question arises – are we missing the bigger picture? Are we spreading too far, too thin while neglecting what really matters? This paper investigates cross-country evidence to identify factors important in reducing hunger and provides policy recommendations. We find that economic prosperity still remains our biggest guarantee. Any state intervention has an opportunity cost of slowing growth which should be considered too. At the same time, however, trickle-down effect of growth alone isn’t the best way. Growth coupled with providing infrastructure has maximum impact. This is followed by urbanization, open defecation free communities and reducing corruption. Lastly, government spending in primary healthcare and education matters more than private spending. Next we evaluate Indian state-wise data and establish that these findings, in addition to women’s education, hold in Indian context too.