Question

The concept of 'Failure of entitlements has been given by:

• A. Amartya Sen
• B. Emile Durkheim
• C. Abhijit Banerjee
• D. Thomas Robert Malthus

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

The correct answer is: Option 1: Amartya Sen

The concept of "Failure of Entitlements" was introduced by economist Amartya Sen in the context of famine and poverty studies.

Sen discussed this concept in his influential work "Poverty and Famines: An Essay on Entitlement and Deprivation (1981)," where he argued that famines occur not merely due to a shortage of food supply, but primarily due to a failure of people's entitlements to food.

"Entitlements," according to Sen, refer to the legal, economic, and social rights of individuals or groups to access food. This access can be through direct production, trade, labor income, or transfers.

Sen's analysis emphasized that famines often happen when these entitlements collapse, regardless of overall food availability. This challenged the earlier classical views, such as those proposed by Thomas Robert Malthus, who argued that famines resulted primarily from population outstripping food supply.

 Why other options are incorrect:

Emile Durkheim (Option 2): A sociologist known for concepts like "anomie" and studies on social solidarity, not entitlement failures.

Abhijit Banerjee (Option 3): Known for experimental economics, randomized control trials (RCTs), and poverty alleviation but not specifically for entitlement failures.

Thomas Robert Malthus (Option 4): Known for his population theory, specifically the argument that populations grow geometrically, and food supply grows arithmetically, causing inevitable famine—not entitlement failures.

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📌 Therefore, the correct and well-established concept of 'Failure of Entitlements' was given by economist Amartya Sen.