Famine Demography

This book deals with the important subject of famine demography. It contains case studies of the demography of historical and more recent famines in locations as far apart as Ireland, Finland, India, Burundi, Russia, Greece, Madagascar, and Japan. The authors address issues such as the role of famines in controlling population growth in the past, the nature of interactions between starvation and epidemic diseases during times of famine, and the detailed demographic consequences of famines. In the latter category issues such as the age and cause-specific profiles of excess famine mortality receive particular attention.

Famine Demography illustrates how the demographic impacts of famines can vary according, for example, to the nature of the famine causation process and the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of the populations which are affected. The nature and basis of sex differentials in famine mortality are a recurring theme of the book, as are the implications for human fertility and migration.

This is the only comparative volume of its kind. It is wide-ranging in time and place, but at the same time focuses sharply on a particular subject. Consequently its contents provide a unique understanding of famine demography, which should be of interest to academics and practitioners involved in limiting the consequences of famines.