`It is a characteristic work: philosophically sophisticated, empirically well-informed, ambitious and lively. I think that there can be few people as able as he is to write the book.' James Griffin
`a valiant and valuable effort which is much meeded...I am amazed at the thoroughness with which Dasgupta has mastered the nutrition literature' John Waterlow
`Dasgupta has produced a tour de force, a book which is a model of good economics. He has addressed a set of questions which are of central importance, questions for which we really do care what the answers are. To answer these questions he has marshalled an array of evidence, empirical studies drawn from a wide range of sources. And he has brought some simple, but deep, theories and ideas to bear on these questions. The book will be a must for
every development economist, but its reach should go well beyond that: every economist should be concerned with the questions it raises, and as a model of how good economics should be done, it should be required
reading for every graduate student.' Joseph Stiglitz
`Dasgupta's book of resource allication in poor countries covers a remarkably wide range of material, including work be anthropologists, nutritionists, political scientists, and others. At the same time as making this data available to economists interested in economic development, he raises important issues that are relevant to anthropologists, especially those dealing with the household, with poverty, and with gender differences. This is a cross
disciplinary study of great importance to the various disciplines it engages.' Jack Goody
`Although he is himself a theoretical economist, his models start in political philosophy, and go beyond what most economists think of as economics into the real conditions of life in the South. An Inquiry into Well-Being and Destitution is in many ways as impressive as Hume, Smith and Marx themselves... No one, however, has gone so far beyond the generalities and brought so much of the many bits of available information together. No one,
certainly, has thought it through so hard.' London Review of Books
`a rich unusual and wide ranging work...When one reads the whole book, one is forced to jettison incorrect impressions of simplemindedness. Without doubt, this is mandatory reading for every social scientist anywhere in the world.' Indian Express
`there is much that will inform and instruct environmentalists on issues that are central to the entire environmental cause'
The Environmentalist
`The only possible word to describe this book is `breathtaking'. It is one of the most carefully researched studies I have ever seen ... the book is surprisingly easy to read ... it is a beautiful book that should make all economists feel rightly proud of the achievements of their discipline. But it is not a book for economists only. Far from it - this work ought to become compulsory reading for every serious student of poverty in the Third World.'
International Affairs
`a work of encyclopedic learning and matching ambition.'
The New York Review
`a detailed review of the literature on nutrition, which is extended to nutrition-based labour market analysis'
Mind
`Massive and ambitious treatise ... Dasgupta has a gift for formalising concisely ideas which are potentially woolly, and his mastery of game theory allows him to sharpen up how a social contract is specified and implemented in three stages ... The best feature of this volume is its demonstration of how exciting and dynamic is the contemporary study of economic development ... the text should be accessible to a wide readership across the social sciences.
It is a notable addition to the literature on development studies in general, and to development economics in particular.'
Journal of Development Studies
`A big book, physically large, grand in scope, and treating of profoundly important themes.'
Population and Development Review
`A comprehensive inquiry into rural poverty in Latin America, Asia and Africa.'
Oxfam
Each essay has a clearly articulated context, and each is a success in contributing to a curriculum of essential knowledge. The coverage of the essays is comprehensive. Their exposition is provocative, and their bibliographies are sufficiently inclusive for most purposes. - Gary Yohe. Journal of Asian Studies. August 1998.
A valuable book for anyone interested in development economics, nutrition and health. - Prof. Alok Bhargava, Univ. of Houston.- 18/05 98
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