[UAPP HOME]

Other useful articles and websites

This page offers links to a small selection of articles and websites that have information on poverty reduction in general and poverty auditing in particular. Most of the sites have their own links pages which point to even more useful information.


Bretton Woods Project works as a networker, information-provider, media informant and watchdog to scrutinise and influence the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF). Through briefings, reports and the bimonthly digest Bretton Woods Update, it monitors projects, policy reforms and the overall management of the Bretton Woods institutions with special emphasis on environmental and social concerns.
http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/


Graham Boyd (2000) Local Authority Partnership Building Options - Partnership Approaches to Local Development
The terms partnership and network are often used in imprecise ways or are seen as interchangeable. There are however important differences. Partnerships are formal relationships between legal entities, for example a board, a company, a municipal council or an incorporated society. They have fixed memberships and clear boundaries. Networks operate through relationships between individuals with shared interests, values and goals. They tend to have indistinct boundaries and fluid memberships. Partnerships and networks co-exist. The informal relationships of networking can become formalised into partnership bodies. Often networks continue to operate in parallel with partnerships. They can assist – or hinder – the operation of partnerships, sometimes complimenting and at other times challenging more formal arrangements.
http://www.srds.co.uk/partnerships/approach.htm 


George Clark (2000) Partnership - the options
The word ‘Partnership’ is used by different people to mean different things. To explore this range of meaning, a simple and very broad definition is given and the items within it are conceptually unpacked to demonstrate the range of realities which can lie behind the same rhetoric. "Partnership is about people, with knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the task in hand, working together for their mutual benefit and for the greater social good."
http://www.srds.co.uk/partnerships/options.htm 


Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), is a consortium of 28 public and private development agencies working together to expand access to financial services for the poor, referred to as microfinance. CGAP's staff, working from World Bank offices in Washington, DC and Paris, serve donor agencies, microfinance institutions (MFIs), and other microfinance practitioners. To each of these client groups, CGAP provides technical advice, training, research and development, information dissemination, and funding for innovations.
http://www.cgap.org/ 
For an 11 page pdf file on Poverty Audit click here - http://www.cgap.org/docs/poverty_audit.pdf


Development Assistance Committee (DAC) (of the OECD) is one of the key forums in which the major bilateral donors work together to increase the effectiveness of their common efforts to support sustainable development. The DAC concentrates on how international development co-operation contributes to the capacity of developing countries to participate in the global economy and the capacity of people to overcome poverty and participate fully in their societies.
http://www.oecd.org/dac 
Poverty Reduction
http://www.oecd.org/department/0,2688,en_2649_34621_1_1_1_1_1,00.html 
Millennium Development Goals
http://www.oecd.org/department/0,2688,en_2649_34585_1_1_1_1_1,00.html


ELDIS Gateway to development information
http://www.eldis.org/index.htm 
The ELDIS participation resource guide
http://www.eldis.org/participation/index.htm 

How do organisations accurately determine whether they are progressing towards, or achieving their goals and objectives? And who should be making these judgements? Increasing calls for accountability, efficiency and improved management performance have led to a more intense focus on the monitoring and evaluation stage of the project cycle, including feedback of results into the planning process. Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation (PM&E) promotes the involvement of a wide range of stakeholders, employing methods that allow a more equal opportunity for the expression of views and sharing of lessons.
Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation http://www.eldis.org/participation/pme/index.htm 

A range of guidelines and manuals exist for aiding development practitioners in carrying out PM&E. Some guidelines are widely applicable whilst others are relevant to specific sectors, to use by different actors, or to various aspects of either monitoring or evaluation. There are a number of broadly relevant manuals, mainly developed by the large donor agencies for use by their staff and partners.
http://www.eldis.org/participation/pme/pme3.htm

[UAPP HOME]


Eurodad is a network of European development NGOs working for national economic & international financing policies that achieve poverty eradication & the empowerment of the poor
http://www.eurodad.org/


Hakikazi Catalyst is one of Tanzania's most exciting civil society websites. It exchanges ideas on how to promote the rights of all people to fully participate on social, technical, economic, environmental and political (STEEP) issues. It also offers links to many plain language guides to ongoing policies and strategies in Tanzania.
http://www.hakikazi.org/


Minu Hemmati (2002) Multi-stakeholder processes for governance and sustainability - beyond deadlock and conflict; Earthscan; ISBN1853838705
The term multi-stakeholder processes describes processes which aim to bring together all major stakeholders in a new form of communication, decision-finding (and possibly decision-making) on a particular issue. They are also based on recognition of the importance of achieving equity and accountability in communication between stakeholders, involving equitable representation of three or more stakeholder groups and their views. They are based on democratic principles of transparency and participation, and aim to develop partnerships and strengthened networks among stakeholders. MSPs cover a wide spectrum of structures and levels of engagement. They can comprise dialogues on policy or grow to include consensus-building, decisionmaking and implementation of practical solutions. The exact nature of any such process will depend on the issues, its objectives, participants, scope and time lines, among other factors.
http://www.earthsummit2002.org/msp/book.htm


Institute of Development Studies (UK). Through the work of the Participation Group, the Institute of Development Studies serves as a global centre for research, innovation and learning in citizen participation and participatory approaches to development.
http://www.ids.ac.uk/ids/particip/index.html


International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an international organization of 184 member countries. It was established to promote international monetary cooperation, exchange stability, and orderly exchange arrangements; to foster economic growth and high levels of employment; and to provide temporary financial assistance to countries to help ease balance of payments adjustment. Since the IMF was established its purposes have remained unchanged but its operations - which involve surveillance, financial assistance, and technical assistance - have developed to meet the changing needs of its member countries in an evolving world economy.
http://www.imf.org 
Fact Sheets list - http://www.imf.org/cgi-shl/create_x.pl?fcteng 
PRSP http://www.imf.org/external/np/prsp/prsp.asp 
HIPC http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/facts/hipc.htm 
PRGF http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/facts/prgf.htm


LogoLink is a global network of practitioners from civil society organisations, research institutions and governments working to deepen democracy through greater citizen participation in local governance. LogoLink encourages learning from field-based innovations and expressions of democracy which contribute to social justice.
http://www.ids.ac.uk/logolink/index.htm


Renosi Mokate - Local government as a catalyst for poverty alleviation: A policy analysis approach; Economic and Social Analysis, Human Sciences Research Council
The need to address poverty and inequality has been firmly placed at the center of the nation’s agenda. Several poverty audits have been undertaken, and a range of policy documents and strategies have been developed to address this crucial issue. Urban renewal and an integrated rural development strategy are at particular importance. The purpose of this article is to provide a framework within which antipoverty strategies can be integrated by local governments in their local economic development strategies. It builds on existing studies by adding complementary dimensions to be considered in linking local economic development and poverty alleviation. The Local Economic Development and Poverty Alleviation study undertaken by the Department of Provincial and local government provides a framework for developing a municipal antipoverty programme. This article elaborates on the broader provincial and national framework within which local economic development and poverty alleviation occur, and the related constraints and opportunities.
http://www.up.ac.za/academic/soba/SAAPAM/vol34n3/mokate.htm


Overseas Development Institute (ODI) Poverty and Public Policy Group (PPPG) was created in 2000. Its mission is to contribute through research, advice and communication to measures that work effectively towards the goal of eradicating poverty on a global scale. PPPG interests span all aspects of public policy for poverty reduction, including "upstream" policy and management issues and "downstream" analysis of the causes of poverty and social exclusion
http://www.odi.org.uk/PPPG/index.html


Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) Notes is the world's leading series on participatory learning and action approaches and methods. It provides a forum for all those engaged in participatory work - community workers, activists and researchers - to share their experiences, conceptual reflections and methodological innovations with others.
http://www.iied.org/sarl/pla_notes/index.html

[UAPP HOME]


Poverty Assessment Tools
Microenterprise development programs have been among the most promising forms of donor-sponsored poverty reduction programs in recent years, and they have improved the lives of millions of poor people. In 2000, the US Congress passed the Microenterprise for Self-Reliance Act, which mandated that half of all USAID microenterprise funds benefit the very poor. This legislation was amended in 2003, and now defines the very poor as those living on less than $1 a day, or those living in the bottom 50% below their country's poverty line. The lack of widely applicable, low-cost tools for poverty assessment makes it difficult to determine whether USAID is meeting these mandated targets. Therefore, the law also requires USAID to develop and certify at least two tools for assessing the poverty level of its microenterprise beneficiaries. To implement this work, USAID's Microenterprise Development division has selected the consortium led by the IRIS Center under the Enabling Environment component of the Accelerated Microenterprise Advancement Project (AMAP).
http://www.povertytools.org/ 


PRSP Monitoring and Synthesis Project has been commissioned by the Department of International Development to enhance DFID's ability to engage with the wider policy debate around PRSPs and will help all levels of DFID staff to remain well-informed about a wide variety of PRSP work. The PRSP Synthesis Team at the Overseas Development Institute collate information on the PRSP process from a variety of sources and provide updates, topic notes, and in-depth analysis on key issues around PRSPs.
http://www.prspsynthesis.org/
 


Tanzania Online is a gateway to information on development issues in Tanzania. It is a UNDP/UN, Government of Tanzania and Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF) initiative to address problems faced by Government officials, policy makers, private sector, civil society, donor community, researchers and academicians accessing information on development issues in Tanzania.
http://www.tzonline.org/
 


United Nations (UN) - the following link offers an alphabetic index of websites of the United Nations System of Organizations, including joint initiatives and special projects which exist to address specific, substantive areas of interest. Entries listed in bold are members of the United Nations System's Chief Executives Board (CEB).
http://www.unsystem.org/en/frames.alphabetic.index.en.htm 
Clickable chart - http://www.un.org/aboutun/chart.html 

United Nations Development Group (UNDG) is an instrument for UN reform, created by the Secretary General in 1997, to improve the effectiveness of UN development at the country level. The UNDG brings together the operational agencies working on development. The Group is chaired by the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on behalf of the Secretary General. The UNDG develops policies and procedures that allow member agencies to work together and analyse country issues, plan support strategies, implement support programmes, monitor results and advocate for change. These initiatives increase UN impact in helping countries achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), including poverty reduction.
http://www.undg.org/ 

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Practice Notes http://www.undp.org/poverty/practicenotes.htm 
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/

UNDP - democratic governance
The critical importance of democratic governance in the developing world was highlighted at the Millennium Summit, where the world's leaders resolved to "spare no effort to promote democracy and strengthen the rule of law, as well as respect for all internationally recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to development." A consensus was reached which recognized that improving the quality of democratic institutions and processes, and managing the changing roles of the state and civil society in an increasingly globalised world must underpin national efforts to reduce poverty, sustain the environment, and promote human development.
http://www.undp.org/governance/
 


World Bank Group's mission is to fight poverty and improve the living standards of people in the developing world. It is a development Bank which provides loans, policy advice, technical assistance and knowledge sharing services to low and middle income countries to reduce poverty. The Bank promotes growth to create jobs and to empower poor people to take advantage of these opportunities.
http://www.worldbank.org 
Global Poverty Monitoring http://www.worldbank.org/research/povmonitor/ 
Poverty Net http://www.worldbank.org/poverty/index.htm 
Debt and HIPC http://www.worldbank.org/hipc/ 
Poverty Reduction Strategies and PRSPs http://www.worldbank.org/poverty/strategies/index.htm 
Poverty Reduction Strategy Sourcebook http://www.worldbank.org/poverty/strategies/sourctoc.htm
Public Sector Governance http://www1.worldbank.org/publicsector/index.cfm 
 

[UAPP HOME]