One of the key components of a successful poverty reduction strategy is a system for monitoring the implementation of the strategy and for tracking progress in poverty reduction. 'Beyond the Numbers' provides lessons on the design and functioning of such monitoring systems, which are based on the experiences of twelve countries. The book's focus is on the institutional arrangements of poverty reduction monitoring systems--the rules and processes that bring the various actors and monitoring activities together in a coherent framework--rather than on any particular activity or actor. This book...

The allocation of resources and the design of policies tailored to local-level conditions require highly disaggregated information. Data on poverty at the local level is typically not available because most household surveys are not representative past the regional level. This volume aims to promote the effective use of Small Area Estimation poverty maps in policy making. It presents the range of policies and interventions which have been informed by poverty maps, focusing on the political economy of poverty maps and the key elements to their effective use by policy makers. The volume also...