Book Reviews 667

two prominent participatory methodologies, it criticizes their lack of a systematic method for
identifying changes of values by participants themselves and for devolving real control over a
decision to the lowest level capable of making it. In response, the author described a novel method of
impact assessment which would complement and improve available assessment tools. Chapter 6 also
reviewed methodologies for evaluating the economic impact of development activities such as cost–
benefit analysis (CBA) with an assessment of other human impacts through social impact assessment
(SIA) and participatory social assessments. It considers a methodology by which information can be
gathered both on the expansions and contractions of valuable functionings.
The seventh chapter comprises case studies of three small Oxfam activities in Pakistan on which
both cost–benefit analysis and other assessment of impacts were applied. The case studies were
conducted with the aim of developing a participatory method for evaluating development activities
which field staff could implement and which would facilitate the kind of self-direction and scrutiny
of values advocated by Sen’s capability approach. The lessons from the three case studies could have
been more informative about cross-cultural differences in the effects of participatory activities if the
projects had been from different countries and regions.
Valuing Freedoms could have placed more emphasis on the issue of how to aggregate valued
capabilities when communities disagree about social priorities—an issue which still confronts Sen’s
capability approach. Overall, the book is well-referenced and contributes to the development of
Sen’s capability approach. However, it is not an easy book to read because it assumes that the reader
is familiar with Sen’s work, development economics, development ethics, philosophy and welfare
economics. Valuing Freedoms made it clear that we should go beyond economics to operationalise
the approach and the book is a good reading for economists and non-economists interested in the
capability approach.

ABBI MAMO KEDIR

University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI: 10.1002/jid.1012

Rural Poverty Report 2001: The Challenge of Ending Rural Poverty edited by the
INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT (IFAD). (Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2001, pp. 266, £15.99 h/bk).
Appropriately, the opening statement of IFAD’s 2001 rural poverty report states that ‘poverty and
chronic deprivation have long been a tragic aspect of human society’. The report argues for getting
our priorities right by focusing on rural poverty reduction because most of the poor live in rural areas.
It concentrates heavily on concrete production and income issues, and on agriculture. It argues that
the answer to rural poverty is not just agriculture, although it is a big part of the story. For a
sustainable solution to absolute poverty, the poor themselves, pro-poor institutions, labour intensive
interventions and partnerships between the rural poor and other stakeholders are advocated as
essential. It also briefly discusses the serious measurement problems of poverty. Whatever is the
extent of these problems, rural poverty is strikingly high by any measure. Quite rightly, even if the
report is on rural poverty, there is enough detailed discussion about urban poverty in a realization of
the fact that these two are inseparable.
The report has seven chapters and its exposition is illustrated with numerous boxes, tables and
some photographs. The first chapter motivates the discussion of the important substantive issues of
the report which include: (i) the poor should not be seen as a burden to society (e.g. empowering
women); (ii) domestic investment and external assistance alike should focus on rural areas and on
agriculture; (iii) to make the material means that increase production and incomes the four key
factors are assets, technology and natural resources, markets and institutions. The whole of the report
explores these four themes. Other important issues include security and vulnerability, and the
ownership and agency of the poor. Feasible growth alone, even in the rural sector, will in many
countries not suffice to halve poverty by 2015.
The second chapter is devoted to address conceptual challenges such as why does it matter how
different countries define ‘rural’? What is poverty? Who are the poor? Where do they live? Chapter 3
addresses the issue of assets. Access to assets is an important instrument of poverty alleviation and

Copyright # 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. J. Int. Dev. 15, 659–673 (2003)
668 Book Reviews

the report highlights some strategies to secure access. Access to water, land, non-farm activities and
human assets such as health, education and child nutrition are discussed in sufficient detail with
the support of case studies from different countries. However, the report overlooks the fact that
unused land and unequal access to land can seriously be affected by human-made disasters such as
civil wars which are common in much of Africa. Although good quality schooling and training
to provide skills for effective integration into the labour market are important in securing a better
future for the poor, much of the report seems to suggest that access to education alone is an
instrument to escape poverty.
Chapter 4 is about technology and natural resources. The role of the green revolution in poverty
reduction is emphasized but the report fails to explain why Africa derived so little benefit. Some new
technological prospects to reduce rural poverty are indicated (e.g. bio-agricultural technology) but it
excessively emphasizes technologies that increase rice yields. It is a good observation by IFAD to
note that poverty is often concentrated in areas where the technology to improve the production of
staples has not yet been introduced.
Another aspect of poverty reduction emphasized in Chapter 5 is the various institutional, physical
and other barriers to markets (i.e. credit, water and land markets with insurance options) with a
proposal to circumvent the problems particularly to enhance the benefits of trade liberalization
policies. However, ways of improving Third World farmers’ access to international markets are not
explicitly discussed. The report seems to argue that the problem is mainly from the side of third
world countries. There is no mention of protectionist policies by rich countries which are partly to
blame for the poor market access. The final important focus of the report in Chapter 6 relates to
institutions and issues related with institutional reform such as decentralization and privatization
with a purpose of deterring corruption and promote transparency, accountability and efficiency.
Various institutional settings (e.g. role of NGOs) are examined in an informative way and proposals
are forwarded to strengthen the intensity of poverty reduction options.
The report proposes solutions to reduce poverty and indicates how the proposed strategies may
fail by citing case studies from past failures in various parts of the world. It rightly points to the
unrealistic proposal of using the Internet as a remedy for the communication problems of the rural
poor. It also indicates that user fees for education and health harm the poor. The report concludes
with a discussion of challenges and opportunities and various levels of partnerships to end poverty. It
does not support the view that the poor and their governments need to expect aid from the rest of the
world and act passively. Rather it indicates how the poor can be pro-active in the development
process. It also urges governments to be responsible for much of the poverty reduction drive. The
report explores the nature of the rural poor; who they are; where they are; what accounts for the
successes; gaps and failures of rural poverty reduction; and what can be done about rural poverty and
by whom. The report is easy to follow, touches on many issues in rural development, and provides
good non-technical reference material for students of development economics.

ABBI MAMO KEDIR

University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI: 10.1002/jid.1013

Kicking Away the Ladder: Development Strategy in Historical Perspective by HA-JOON

CHANG. (London: Anthem Press, 2002, pp. 187, £14.95 p/bk).

This important and persuasive book focuses on the role of institutions and policy in economic
development. Given the current emphasis placed by the World Bank and International Monetary
Fund on institutional issues (see, in particular, WDR, 2002), the book presents a timely critique of
contemporary thought on the subject. In an attempt to defy the Hegelian proposition that ‘the only
thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history’, Chang revindicates the importance
of history. The core of the book involves an in-depth analysis of historical record of the now-
industrialised countries during their own period of economic, social and political transformation
towards development, drawing a number of important lessons from their experience for today’s
developing countries.

Copyright # 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. J. Int. Dev. 15, 659–673 (2003)