Poverty Reduction in a Changing Climate

Poverty reduction challenges in the twenty-first century are not the same as those from the previous century. The shift is due in no small part to climate change and climate-related weather disasters, such as extreme flood and drought. The magnitude and frequency of such events are only expected to increase in the coming decades, affecting more and more impoverished people across the globe. Poverty Reduction in a Changing Climate, edited by Hari Bansha Dulal, is a work which discusses the new innovations and funding mechanisms which have emerged in response to the rise of climate-related challenges in the twenty-first century. Dulal and the text's contributors explore the synergies and implications of those innovations with respect to poverty alleviation goals. This collection brings together a range of scholars from different backgrounds, ranging from political science, economics, public policy, and environmental science, all analyzing poverty reduction challenges and opportunities from different, forward-thinking perspectives.

Table of Contents:
About the Contributors Preface Part One: Inequality, Politics, and the Spatial Dimensions of Poverty Chapter One - Markets, the State, and the Dynamics of Inequality in Latin America: Brazil, Mexico, and Uruguay, by Nora Lustig and Luis F. Lopez-Calva Chapter Two - Politics and the Room to Maneuver: Democracy, Social Opportunity, and Poverty in India, by Subrata K. Mitra, Jivanta Schöttli, and Markus Pauli Chapter Three - The Importance of Place and Space: The Spatial Dimensions of Poverty and Development Policy, by Kate Bird and Kate Higgins Part Two: Poverty Reduction Challenges Chapter Four - Assessing the Potential Impact on Poverty of Rising Cereals Prices: The Case of Mali, by George Joseph and Quentin Wodon Chapter Five - Assessing the Potential Impact of Higher Fertilizer Use on Poverty Among Farm Households: Illustration for Rwanda, by Enrique Hennings and Quentin Wodon Chapter Six - Poverty Reduction Challenges in South Asia, by Arup Mitra Chapter Seven - Official Development Assistance: Does It Reduce Poverty?, by John Weiss Part Three: Poverty Reduction Instruments, Policies, and Lessons Learnt Chapter Eight - Bolsa Família, Its Design, and Possibilities for the Future, by Sergei Soares Chapter Nine - The Biodiversity Conservation: An Effective Mechanism for Poverty Alleviation?, by Dilys Roe and Terry Sunderland Chapter Ten - Tracing the REDD Bullet: Implications of Market-Based Forest Conservation Mechanisms for Poverty Alleviation in Developing Countries, by Bryan R. Bushley and Rishikesh R. Bhandary Chapter Eleven - Banking on Social Institutions for Poverty Reduction, by Hari B. Dulal and Roberto Foa Chapter Twelve - Climate Change Adaptation and the International Aid Regime: Prospects for Policy Convergence, by Craig Johnson Chapter Thirteen - Lessons on Equitable Growth: Stories of Progress in Vietnam, Mauritius, and Malawi, by Milo Vandemoortele and Kate Bird Index

About the Author :
Hari Bansha Dulal received his doctorate in environmental science and public policy from George Mason University. He is currently a consultant for climate change and clean energy at The World Bank in Washington, D.C.

Review :
The important debates about climate change and poverty reduction usually occur in separate policy spheres. This compelling book argues that the impacts of climate change and poverty are increasingly interconnected. I highly recommend this timely and well-written volume because it shows how poverty alleviation and equitable growth can occur in the face of climate change—if policy makers are willing to address climate change and economic development in a holistic manner. This edited collection provides a refreshing breadth in the perspectives that it presents and the issues that it tackles....Part One of the book...is particularly interesting, providing an analysis of the influence of the poor as a voting block in India, positing that divisions along ethnic, caste, religious, and other lines make the likelihood of India’s poor converging on a collective action agenda against poverty unlikely, despite India’s democratic electoral system.