In spite of technological improvements in transport, landlocked developing countries continue to face structural challenges to accessing world markets. As a result, landlocked countries often lag behind their maritime neighbours in overall development and external trade. While the relatively...

Three hundred and sixteen households in 20 western Kenyan villages — 19% of all households in these villages — managed successfully to escape from poverty in the past 25 years. However, another 325 households (i.e. 19% of all households of these villages) fell into abiding poverty in the...

While there is evidence of some positive change as a result of economic development and some of the anti-poverty strategies implemented in India, the overall effect is fairly limited, especially among the poor. Some of the less favoured rural areas have faced deterioration due to a shrinking...

Recent thinking on poverty and poverty reduction tend to be 'big' in terms of ideas, units of analysis, datasets, plans and ambitions. While recognizing the benefits of such approaches, this paper argues that researchers should counterbalance and supplement big ideas through 'thinking small'. In...

This paper reviews recent approaches by developing country governments to include ordinary people, particularly the poor, in democratic processes so as to benefit the people and protect democracy itself. Three issues currently characterise all aspects of government: centrist approaches, fiscal...

The most useful poverty profiles are those based on functional groupings defined in relation to key livelihood features. This paper considers three groups, sometimes called the traditional poor, which are commonly identified as being poor in participatory poverty assessments: orphans, people...

This paper reviews Mexico's mixed track record in pursuing the Millennium Development Goals, with progress in health and education but a seemingly entrenched problem of poverty. Given that the country is one of the most equal in Latin America, the paper goes on to disaggregate the data and...

This paper uses cross-national data to investigate the extent to which the adoption of human development strategies has resulted in a reduction of poverty in Africa. Inter-country variations in income and human poverty reinforce the established patterns of well-being within the continent, as...

While the Philippines seems to be on track towards achieving some Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), subnational disparities exist indicating possible patterns of isolation or discrimination. This paper examines whether and how geographical and political economy factors help to explain these...

This paper reviews experience since governments first began, through the United Nations, setting time-bound quantitative goals to serve as guidelines and benchmarks for national and international action and development assistance. It argues that, contrary to much opinion, many of these goals...