This volume addresses issues arising from the definition and measurement of poverty in terms of nutritional status. A high degree of nutritional deprivation is considered to be an indicator of poverty. Hence the definition of an appropriate nutritional yardstick and its measurement are of crucial significance for determining the level and magnitude of poverty.

The book also debates energy related deprivation and evaluates the respective merits of making comparisons of calorie intake against an average reference standard and making comparisons of anthropometric measurements of the body with some reference standard. Gender bias in the incidence of nutritional deprivation is also considered.

Contributors: Sudhir Anand, J. R. Behrman, Roderick Floud, Robert W. Fogel, C. Gopalan, Christopher Harris, Nank C. Kakwani, S. R. Osmani, P. R. Payne, and T. N. Srinavasan.