European Development Cooperation and the Poor

What are the poverty reduction goals of the European development co-operation agencies? This work examines the credibility of their actual record in terms of their commitment and approaches to poverty reduction. The poverty impact of their aid programmes and their good and bad practices are assessed based on field studies in seven poor countries. Ways of maximizing benefits to poor people are explored and changes in agency management systems and dialogue are recommended.

Table of Contents:
Preface The Context of Poverty Poverty Reduction Goals and Strategies of the European Development Cooperation Agencies Role and Modes of Intervention of the Development Cooperation Agencies for Poverty Reduction The Approach to Poverty Reduction in Country Programmes Have the Poor Benefited? Evidence of Effectiveness and Impact Good and Bad Approaches: Case Study Evidence Options for Reaching the Poor More Effectively: Some New Thinking Poverty Reduction: Organisation and Management of the European Agencies Conclusion and Suggestions Annexes 1-5 References Indexes

About the Author :
AIDAN COX has served as a Specialised Adviser to the International Development Committee of the House of Commons. Recent publications include: Understanding European Community Aid: Aid Policies, Management and Distribution Explained, How European Aid Works (with J.Healey and A.Koning), and British Aid Policies for Poverty Reduction. - JOHN HEALEY is a Visiting Research Fellow at the Overseas Development Institute, London. Recent publications include: Democracy, Governance and Economic Policy: Sub-Saharan Africa in Comparative Perspective (with Mark Robinson), Votes and Budgets: Third World Studies in Accountable Governance (with William Todd), and How European Aid Works (with A.Cox and A Koning). - PAUL HOEBINK is a Senior Lecturer at the Third World Centre of the Catholic University in Nijmegen. His main subjects of research are development policy and cooperation. He has published widely on aid policies and aid effectiveness, as well as on policy coherence. - TIMO VOIPIO is a Research Fellow at IDS-Helsinki and is presently Secretary-General of the Finnish Parliamentary Advisory Board for Relations with Developing Countries of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has published a major work on the history of international trade in coffee, tea and cocoa entitled Tropiikin Lahjat (Gifts from the Tropics), as well as many smaller books and articles on poverty reduction and aid.