Introduction
This working paper provides a brief introduction to asset-based approaches to poverty reduction in a globalized context. The aim is to show the added value of asset-based approaches, in terms of both better understanding poverty and developing more appropriate long-term poverty reduction solutions. The paper draws on a number of sources, including: a longitudinal research project on Intergenerational asset accumulation and poverty reduction in Guayaquil 1978–2004; a number of associated background papers; and contributions to the recent Brookings Institution/Ford Foundation Workshop on Asset-based approaches to poverty reduction in a globalized context held in Washington DC on 27–8 June 2006.
