Reducing poverty is a complex anddifficult challenge. Poverty has many dimensions. Itcertainly involves lack of human and physical assets andinadequate material means to acquire food and othernecessities. But it also means vulnerability to ill-health,drought, job loss, economic decline, violence, and societalconflict. And it often means a deep condition ofdisempowerment, even humiliation. The history of povertyduring the past few decades is diverse: great advances insome dimensions in some regions, but stagnation, evenreversals, in others. Progress requires effective publicaction at both the national and local levels, but thisaction is in turn profoundly influenced by how a societyfunctions and by the public, private, and nongovernmentinstitutions within a country. And action within a countryis powerfully affected by international conditions. Theprograms and projects presented in this book were selectedby a team representing the staff association, the povertyreduction and economic management network, and the externalaffairs department of the World Bank. To be included,activities had to show poverty impact. Activities stillunder way had to hold the promise of enhancing thewell-being of the poor and contain effective monitoring andevaluation mechanisms so that changes could be made alongthe way if needed. The country cases presented also includemethods for monitoring and evaluation. Impact is whatcounts. This volume not only shows that effective publicaction can make a difference to poverty in all itscomplexity; it also highlights the importance ofunderstanding the impact of development measures on the poor.
PDF
download
878987797
028-85220240
