The Last Mile in Ending Extreme Poverty

Viewed from a global scale, steady progress has been made in reducing extreme poverty—defined by the $1.25-a-day poverty line—over the past three decades. This success has sparked renewed enthusiasm about the possibility of eradicating extreme poverty within a generation. However, progress is expected to become more difficult, and slower, over time. This book will examine three central changes that need to be overcome in traveling the last mile: breaking cycles of conflict, supporting inclusive growth, and managing shocks and risks. By uncovering new evidence and identifying new ideas and solutions for spurring peace, jobs, and resilience in poor countries, The Last Mile in Ending Extreme Poverty will outline an agenda to inform poverty reduction strategies for governments, donors, charities, and foundations around the world.

Contents

Part I: Peace: Breaking the Cycle of Conflict

External finance for state and peace building, Marcus Manuel and Alistair McKechnie, Overseas Development Institute

Reforming international cooperation to improve the sustainability of peace, Bruce Jones, Brookings and New York University

Bridging state and local communities through livelihood improvements, Ryutaro Murotani, JICA, and Yoichi Mine, JICA-RI and Doshisha University

Postconflict trajectories and the potential for poverty reduction, Gary Milante, SIPRI

Part II: Jobs: Supporting Inclusive Growth

Structural change and Africa’s poverty puzzle, John Page, Brookings

Public goods for private jobs: lessons from the Pacific, Shane Evans, Michael Carnahan and Alice Steele, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Government of Australia

Strategies for inclusive development in agrarian Sub-Saharan countries, Akio Hosono, JICA-RI

The role of agriculture in poverty reduction, John McArthur, Brookings, UN Foundation, and Fung Global Institute

Part III: Resilience: Managing Shocks and Risks

Environmental stress and conflict, Stephen Smith, George Washington University and Brookings

Toward community resilience: The role of social capital after disasters, Go Shimada, JICA-RI

Social protection and the end of extreme poverty, Raj Desai, Georgetown University and Brookings

Laurence Chandy is a fellow in the Brookings Global Economy and Development program and the Development Assistance and Governance Initiative. His research focuses on global poverty, fragile states, and aid effectiveness.

Hiroshi Kato is the Vice President of JICA.

Homi Kharas is a Brookings senior fellow and deputy director of the Brookings Global Economy and Development program. Formerly a chief economist in the East Asia and Pacific Region of the World Bank, Kharas currently studies policies and trends influencing developing countries, including aid to poor countries, the emergence of a middle class, the food crisis, and global governance and the G-20. His most recent coauthored books are After the Spring: Economic Transitions in the Arab World (Oxford University Press, 2012) and Catalyzing Development: A New Vision for Aid (Brookings, 2011).