The Hunger Machine (review)

274 SAIS REVIEW analogy. In fact, Bahry makes an effort to put the Soviet political economy in an international perspective. Despite a much higher degree of centralization than found in Western advanced industrial economies, Soviet planners and bureaucrats must deal with many of the same structural issues that are haggled over in such world capitals as Washington, Paris, and Tokyo. After analyzing allocations data and speeches of republic and local leaders, which she admits are not totally reliable, Bahry draws some interesting conclusions that counter conventional Sovietological wisdom (if such a beast exists). She finds little or no evidence to support the thesis that Politburo or Central Committee representation gives a republic or local leader more clout in the investment arena. Whether a leader has been in power for a short or long period does not seem to matter, either. Nor does the ethnic background of leaders help or hinder their causes in Moscow. (Evidence supporting the last conclusion exists only at the republic level because of the paucity of available biographical information.) Finally, subnational leaders tend to make the same appeals regardless of who is general secretary. Although Bahry notes that calls for reorganization have substantially increased under Gorbachev, the most important determining factor in the nature of a leader's appeal for more funds remains the local context. For example, Central Asian republic leaders have consistently appealed for more water projects for at least the last thirty years. What are the prospects for Gorbachev's reform program given the historical context provided by Bahry? She notes, "The history of Soviet fiscal federalism is thus one of continual reorganizations, all in an effort to retain and yet modify Moscow's controls over the periphery." This legacy does not complement the decentralization of the Soviet economy that is fundamental to Gorbachev 's strategy for revitalization of productive capacity. Moscow has traditionally viewed decentralization as not only a loss of political control over the periphery but also a threat to the Kremlin's fundamental economic priorities . Even if Gorbachev is successful, the devolution of power over state allocations from central to subnational levels, including the enterprise level, will likely be an incremental process resulting from many painful compromises. The Hunger Machine. ByJon Bennett with Susan George. Cambridge, Mass.: Polity Press, 1987. 232 pp. $12.95/paper. Reviewed by Angela Lykos, M. A. candidate, SAIS. Pictures of starving children in Ethiopia during the 1984-85 famine elicited a generous response from the world and inspired such ambitious fund-raising drives as LIVE AID. Now the media is once again covering the plight of Ethiopia but this time from a different perspective. Many are asking why this disaster persists and what long-term policies beyond emergency aid should be implemented to prevent recurrences. In The Hunger Machine Jon Bennett explores the underlying causes of famine in the Third World, examining the policies of the industrialized nations and Third World elites and criticizing the global food system. This book was intended to reach a wide audience (the cover displays BOOK REVIEWS 275 Bob Geldolfs endorsement) and convince the reader that famine is not a cyclical problem but rather a symptom of distorted long-term agricultural and economic policies. Such popular explanations of world hunger as overpopulation, food shortages , and drought, are dispelled. Bennett uses Sudan as a case study to illustrate how the industrialized world's policies affect Third World food production. For instance, Bennett argues that the Green Revolution, by transforming farming from a labor-intensive activity to a highly mechanized process, has caused social dislocations, increased unemployment, and made the Third World more dependent on foreign technology. Although it is valid that the North has ignored cultural considerations when implementing Third World food policy, Bennett's portrayal of the Green Revolution as a disaster is exaggerated. Before the Green Revolution the major issue confronting the world was how to deal with an inevitable world food shortage. Today, at least, the question has become how to distribute food surpluses more efficiently. According to Bennett, the case of Brazil illustrates how the policies of Third World elites have exacerbated the hunger problem. Although Brazil has achieved a remarkable level of growth and industrialization, approximately...