The domestic and global determinants of hunger: Homogeneous liberal and illiberal world society effects, 2001–2021

Global hunger is one of the most pressing issues facing us today. What explains cross-national and longitudinal variations in hunger? Current explanations of development and health outcomes more generally emphasize intranational or world economic processes. This analysis provides an alternative view, emphasizing the role of liberal and illiberal world culture in explaining cross-national and longitudinal variations in hunger. To test the proposed global institutional theory of hunger, I analyze an expansive country-level dataset using random effects (RE) Tobit panel regression models, 2001–2021. The results provide empirical support for the proposed theorization, suggesting that multiple international social structures independently shape hunger rates beyond the domestic and world economic processes privileged in the previous literature.