Considering the importance of legal frameworks in laying down governance and accountability frameworks, clarifying the responsibilities of relevant public and private entities and defining the long term and budgetary commitment of states, the capacity of countries to adopt and enforce laws in pertinent areas is crucial to reducing rural poverty. Countries have signed up to international and regional instruments that are of relevance to rural poverty and have adopted policies and legislation in these areas. However, a number of normative, institutional and operational challenges exist in different countries. These include regulatory gaps in some areas such as social security for agricultural workers; the existence of laws that sustain discriminatory practices, for example, in relation to inheritance of property; and inconsistencies in norms and institutional mandates in the area of natural resource governance. Even with relatively good laws, their practical implementation may be wanting due to limitations of capacity to implement them. These problems would require a range of measures on the part of state and non‐state actors, including the adoption or revision of laws as well as awareness‐raising and legal empowerment. This legal paper explores the significance of legislative frameworks to poverty reduction efforts, with a particular focus on human rights. It highlights sectoral areas for legislative intervention and identifies normative, procedural and institutional challenges that states encounter while implementing poverty reduction programmes. It further refers to examples from state practice and provides recommendations on how relevant actors can make use of legislation to address rural poverty.

Over the last twenty years the proportion of development cooperation resources earmarked for agricultural development has dwindled to between six and seven per cent of total bi- and multilateral Official Development Assistance. This is despite the fact that eighty per cent of the world's poor live in rural agricultural areas and that the poor are disproportionately affected when political, military and natural events lead to regional or global food shortages. Brandt and Otzen's key book fills a gap in current literature, undertaking a wide-ranging conceptual reorientation of development cooperation, criticizing the current orthodoxy and its bias towards urban areas, and arguing that in order to effectively alleviate poverty across the world, agricultural and rural development measures need to be implemented both by central and subnational governments, aid agencies and the private sector. The authors investigate the world food question, the current pressures it is under and its link to rural poverty, and set out the policies that need to be undertaken to reduce global poverty.

Derived from the renowned multi-volume International Encyclopaedia of Laws, this book provides ready access to treaties,conventions, legislation and practice concerning the International Environmental Law. A general introduction covers geographic considerations, political, social and cultural aspects of environmental study, the history, sources and principles of environmental law, environmental legislation, carbon credits and the role of public authorities. The main body of the book deals first with laws aimed directly at protecting the environment from pollution in specific areas such as air, water, waste, soil, noise, and radiation. Then, a section on nature and conservation management covers protection of natural and cultural resources such as monuments, landscapes, parks and reserves, wildlife, agriculture, forests, fish, subsoil, and minerals. Further treatment includes the application of zoning and land-use planning, rules on liability, and administrative and judicial remedies to environmental issues and disputes. There is also an analysis of the impact of international and regional legislation and treaties on environmental regulation. Its succinct yet scholarly nature, as well as the practical quality of the information it provides, make this book a valuable resource for lawyers handling cases dealing with and affecting international environment. Academics and researchers, as well as business investors,corporate houses and international organizations in the field, will welcome this very useful guide, and will appreciate its value in the study of comparative international environmental law and policy.

Cambodia achieved macroeconomic stability underpinned by prudent fiscal and monetary policies. Executive Directors commended this development. They welcomed the National Strategic Development Plan for reducing poverty, enhancing physical infrastructure, and improving social services. They appreciated the public financial management reform program, and encouraged to hasten the program’s implementation by introducing the new Chart of Accounts for the budget and by rationalizing government bank accounts. They stressed the need to improve governance to enhance the business environment and strengthen revenue collection.

Using in-depth case studies of a wide-range of political, social and economic reforms in contemporary China this volume sheds light on the significance and consequences of institutional change for stability of the political system in China. The contributors examine how reforms shape and change Communist rule and Chinese society, and to what extent they may engender new legitimacy for the CCP regime and argue that authoritarian regimes like the PRC can successfully generate stability in the same way as democracies. Topics addressed include: ideological reform, rural tax- for-fees reforms, elections in villages and urban neighbourhood communities, property rights in rural industries, endogenous political constraints of transition, internalising capital markets, the media market in transition, the current social security system, the labour market environmental policy reforms to anti-poverty policies and NGOs. Exploring the possibility of legitimate one-party rule in China, this book is a stimulating and informative read for students and scholars interested in political science and Chinese politics