REPOA’s Research Report 08.2 examines:

•The contribution of small businesses to poverty alleviation:
issues covered are income generation, employment creation, salaries, profit margin and profitability.

•The influence of socio-economic factors:,
issues covered are gender, owner’s level of education, motivation for starting the business, sources of initial capital, owner’s prior activity, and use of technology.

•The impact of business formality on profit margins and empl more...

Social Policy and Human Development in Zambia is a book that is intended to
contribute towards a growing body of knowledge on development-related issues in the country. It delves into the theoretical debates relating to
social policy and human development, before situating the two processes in the context of a LDC.

Using material based on numerous disciplines the author systematically argues that if governed competently and with a great focus on 'people-centred' policies, Zambia has the po more...

'The Sourcebook is a product of the OECD-DAC Joint Venture on Managing for Development Results, a group of bilateral and multilateral donors – and, more recently, of partner country representatives – that are working to promote the implementation of the Paris commitments.

'Most of all, the Sourcebook is intended to be a living document. As new good practices emerge and more countries and agencies gain experience, new case studies are intended to be added, continually updating the Sourceb more...

'What are the impacts of the increasing spread of biofuels on access to land in producer countries, particularly for poorer rural people? Biofuels could revitalise rural agriculture and livelihoods – or, where there are competing claims on land – exclude poorer land and resource users. This study documents current knowledge on current and potential impacts of commercial biofuel production for access to land in Africa, Latin America and Asia, charting both negative experiences and promising a more...

'The World Bank has released what it refers to as ‘updated’ global poverty estimates. These new numbers are based on a new worldwide price survey and a new benchmark international poverty line of $1.25 2005 PPP which replaces earlier benchmark poverty lines (of $1.08 1993 PPP and $1.00 1985 PPP, both widely referred to as “$1 per day”) corresponding to earlier base years. The revised figures purport to estimate world poverty figures for a range of years since 1981, and thus crucially aff more...

'This paper studies the causes and manifestations of this “urban bias,” including discrimination in domestic pricing policies and in the international trade regime, decreasing financial support from LDC governments and aid donors, and increasing neglect of agriculture in development theory and economic research. The authors conclude that urban bias remains a persistent and paramount obstacle to sustained growth and poverty reduction in the least developed countries.'International Food Policy more...

In a new, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) offers a new way to measure poverty in the Asia and Pacific region. The report, published in a special chapter of Key Indicators 2008, the flagship annual statistical publication of the ADB, describes important methodological issues involved in generating internationally comparable estimates of poverty. The special chapter, titled Comparing Poverty Across Countries: The Role of Purchasing Power Parities, also provides comparable rates of poverty using p more...

'In agreement with Zed Books earlier publications in the series are granted open access status. CROP is happy to present Best Practices in Poverty Reduction - An Analytical Framework, edited by Else Øyen et al. The book is the first attempt to take the concept of best practice out of its highly politicized and applied context, and to treat it as a scientific tool that can seriously add to the toolbox needed for improved comprehension of the many failures in poverty reduction'.

'The rise of Neoliberalism in the 1980s dramatically transformed
the industrial practices of many developing countries, signalling the
shift towards export-oriented industrialisation. Since then, the spread
of globalised production has gone hand-in-hand with intensified
exploitation of a decentralized, flexible and cheap labour force
(Mezzadri 2008)'. Author(s): Mezzadri, A (2008) Centre for Development Policy and Research (SOAS): London, Development ViewPoint N.12, August 2008.

What factors led to the reduction of poverty in Latin America from 1990 onwards? This article looks into the key factors that have played a part in reducing poverty in the region, including, in particular, employment and remuneration for work. With data from household surveys, the authors discuss the ways in which changes in the working age population, in its participation in economic activity, in employment rates and in income from work and other sources affect the per capita incomes of familie more...