Poverty and power: the role of institutions and the market in development

This book brings together thirteen contributions on the fundamental causes of poverty in Asia, showing the variety of ways in which poverty is generated, reproduced, and deepened or reduced by the exercise of power. This central concept of power is not confined to the actions of the state, but is also used to analyse the operations of market forces and institutions rooted in civil society.
The contributions centre on case studies from South and South-East Asia, and touch upon the full range of activi ties from which poorer people can derive incomes. They were selected from the large number of studies commissioned by the ILO Asian Regional Team for Employment Promotion (ARTEP) and share the ILO's concern with reduction of poverty together with a willingness to locate careful observation in the context of the more abstract processes through which power is exercised.
This wide-focus study, which touches on the development experience of many countries in South and South-East Asia in a range of rural and urban employment activities, will be useful to all those interested in understanding the causes of poverty and in planning policies for its alleviation.