Poverty targeting programs can be viewed as a form of project, which involve administrative and other costs and which aim to generate benefits in the form of higher income or welfare for the poor. However they often suffer from high leakage with the better-off capturing much of the benefits. Experience suggests that important as such programs are, getting them to work effectively is very difficult.

..this book...gives us a history lesson and a guide on how to build commercial finance that fits the needs of the world's poorest majority. Policy makers, finance leaders, and anyone who wants to join this revolution in banking must read this book. Around the world, a revolution is occurring in finance for low-income people. The microfinance revolution is delivering financial services to the economically active poor on a large scale through competing, financially self-sufficient institutions. In a few countries this has already happened; in others it is under way. The emerging microfinance industry has profound implications for social and economic development. For the first time in history, capital is well on its way to being democratized. The Microfinance Revolution, in three volumes, is aimed at a diverse readershipAcirc;-economists, bankers, policymakers, donors, and social scientists; microfinance practitioners and specialists in local finance and rural and urban development; and members of the general public interested in development. This first volume, Sustainable Finance for the Poor, focuses on the shift from government- and donor-subsidized credit systems to self-sufficient microfinance institutions providing voluntary savings and credit services. Acirc;"A magnificent workAcirc;" Elizabeth Littlefield, CEO, Consultative Group to Assist the Poorest (CGAP) Acirc;"A much-needed wake-up call for economistsAcirc;" David E. Bloom, Clarence James Gamble Professor of Economics and Demography, Harvard University Acirc;"A major work that will unquestionably lie at the very center of microfinance literatureAcirc;" Robert Peck Christen, Senior Adviser, CGAP Secretariat; Academic Director, Microfinance Training Program, Naropa University Acirc;"A seminal workAcirc;" Ira W. Lieberman, former CEO of CGAP; Senior Manager, World Bank

This book describes experiences in reaching marginalized communities in situations of chronic poverty, as part of ATD Fourth World & the Permanent Forum on Extreme Poverty in the World. It presents seven case studies (Burkina Faso, Guatemala, Haiti, Canada, Peru, Thailand & Uganda) & the lessons to be learned from them, with each illustrating steps taken, difficulties encountered, entry points found, some success factors & key results obtained.

The contributors to this collection examine the progress and impact of the 'new poverty strategies' which have governed the policies of development agencies over the past decade. While in some areas progress has been impressive, in others it has been hampered by persisting inequalities, civil conflict, institutional gaps and turbulence in the international financial system. In light of this, The New Poverty Strategies proposes a range of new policies and donor initiatives designed to achieve greater success in poverty reduction in the new century.

"Relying on contributions from the International Movement ATD Fourth World, this book deals with questions such as: What does it mean to live in poverty, and especially in extreme poverty? How can very poor people be reached through development projects? How can we assess whether projects succeed in changing the lives of the poorest individuals? In answering these questions, the emphasis is on exploring what type of knowledge is needed to fight extreme poverty. A key argument is that apart from academic knowledge, a concerted effort is needed to listen to the knowledge of poor people themselves, as well as to the knowledge of practitioners who are engaged with them on a daily basis to fight poverty. After the introductory chapter, the text of a speech by Joseph Wresinski (founder of the International Movement ATD Fourth World) at a congress of social scientists held at UNESCO, is reproduced. The next contribution is based on comments by the International Movement ATD Fourth World on the World Bank's World Development Report 2004 Making Services Work for Poor People. Thereafter, case studies are provided on participatory approaches to attacking extreme poverty in both developing countries (Madagascar and Tanzania, as well as Bolivia, Guatemala, and Peru) and developed countries (the United States and Belgium)."

Since opening to the outside world and embarking on an economic reform programme in 1978, China has had one of the highest rates of sustained economic growth and poverty reduction in the world. However, during the 1990s several challenges emerged in relation to levels of inequality and environmental degradation. This evaluative report on the relative effectiveness of World Bank assistance to China focuses on the period 1993-2002, although it includes some references to developments in earlier and more recent years also. Findings include that the World Bank has made important contributions to economic reform, poverty reduction, infrastructure development, and environmental protection, but has fallen short of its objectives in promoting fiscal and financial reforms to reduce inequality and risk.

A daunting challenge to the international community is how to go about lifting the world's huge poor population out of poverty. "Asset-based" approaches to development are aimed specifically at designing and implementing public policies that will increase the capital assets of the poor—i.e., the physical, financial, human, social, and natural resources that can be acquired, developed, improved, and transferred across generations. In this pathbreaking book, Caroline Moser and a group of experts with on-the-ground experience provide a set of case studies of asset-building projects around the globe. The authors use a cutting-edge research framework that moves beyond quick snapshot solutions to the problem of poverty. They highlight the ways in which poor households and communities can move out of poverty through longer-term accumulation of capital assets. Contributors include Michael Carter (University of Wisconsin), Monique Cohen (Microfinance Opportunities), Sarah Cook (Institute of Development Studies, Sussex), Hector Cordero-Guzman (Baruch College, CUNY), Lilianne Fan (Oxfam, UK), Pablo Farias (Ford Foundation, New York), Clare Ferguson (formerly DFID), Andy Felton (FDIC), Sarah Gammage (Rutgers University), Anirudh Krishna (Duke University), Amy Liu (Brookings Institution), Vijay Mahajan (BASIX, India), Paula Nimpuno-Parente (Ford Foundation, South Africa), Manuel Orozco (Inter-American Dialogue),Victoria Quiroz-Becerra (Baruch College, CUNY), Dennis Rodgers (London School of Economics), and Andres Solimano (CEPAL, Santiago, Chile).

At the start of each decade the World Development Report focuses on poverty reduction. The World Development Report, now in its twenty-third edition, proposes an empowerment-security-opportunity framework of action to reduce poverty in the first decades of the twenty-first century. It views poverty as a multidimensional phenonmenon arising out of complex interactions between assets, markets, and institutions. This Report shows how the experience of poverty reduction in the last fifteen years has been remarkably diverse and how this experience has provided useful lessons as well as warnings against simplistic universal policies and interventions. It shows how current global trends present extraordinary opportunities for poverty reduction but also cause extraordinary risks, including growing inequality, marginalization, and social explosions. The World Development Report 2000/2001 explores the challenge of managing these risks in order to make the most of the opportunities for poverty reduction.

The book emphasizes the importance of studying the local context, and then considering the macroeconomic factors which may be operating upon the economy of a particular country. Five extended case studies, in the Gambia, Ecuador, Mexico, Pakistan, and the UK are examined with reference to further aspects of sustainability and impact assessment.

One of the major tools of attaining proper development all around the world is complete financial inclusion, such that all classes of people can secure their lifestyles through access to financial services from formal sectors. Expanding access to resources and increasing self-employment opportunities help reduce poverty and improve social development. The Handbook of Research on Microfinancial Impacts on Women Empowerment, Poverty, and Inequality is an essential reference source that discusses the role of financial inclusion in gender equality, as well as economic independence and self-employment. Featuring research on topics such as inequality, collaborative economy, and social responsibility, this publication is ideally designed for policy makers, economic researchers, and academicians seeking coverage on social mobilization, capital formation, capacity building, and pro-poor economy designs.