The combination of initial endemic poverty, high inequality and low growth has been a major obstacle to the achievement of poverty reduction and, more generally, overall socio-economic development in much of the African sub-continent. The rich contributions to a better understanding of pro-poor...

The paper argues that rural-based policies in Sub-Saharan Africa have the potential to stimulate overall growth and reduce poverty because poverty is mainly a rural phenomenon. Further, rural development is likely to have a salutary effect on the whole economy for several reasons. First,...