Held in conjunction with ST 600 "Market Failure, Famines and Crises," Dr. Cormac O'Grada is the third speaker in the Committee on Social Theory Spring Lecture Series. His lecture, "The Nature of Famines," will focus on the long-term demographic consequences of famines. Population pressure, public policy, and human agency all play a role in causing famine. Food markets can mitigate famine or make it worse. Dr. O'Grada is a professor of economics at at the University College Dublin School of Economics. His most recent book is Famines: A Short History Princeton University Press, 2009.