The central governments of many developing countries have chosen to decentralize their anti-poverty programs, in the expectation that local agents are better informed about local needs. The paper shows that this potential advantage of decentralized eligibility criteria can come at a large cost,...

"This study looks at the experience of integrated urban upgrading in a low-income neighborhood of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Infrastructure and social investments have been made in the community through a government program, with community participation playing a major role in the design and...

This study explored how poor households respond to changes in economic circumstances and labor market conditions, i.e. how the impact has been felt on the ground." It looked at how poor households adjust to a deteriorating situation, what strategies they adopt to limit the impact of shocks and...