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Conflict and political instability have weakened Guinea-Bissau's productive infrastructure considerably during the past three decades. This situation contributes to an increase in the degree of vulnerability of the population, especially in rural areas where most economic activities continue to take place. As growth has been weak, poverty levels remain high. This book provides a collection of papers on conflict, livelihoods, and poverty in Guinea-Bissau based on both the nationally representative 2002 household survey and a small scale survey with both quantitative and qualitative components implemented in 2004. The chapters deal with growth and poverty, institutions and social networks, the determinants of poverty, the means of livelihoods of the population, and finally cashew production and taxation.

This publication offers crucial lessons for policy makers and development experts who may be considering using small area poverty maps as tools of economic development and helps add to our array of tools for dealing with the political economy issues of poverty. It represents a major contribution to a little understood aspect of the well-known adage \"location, location, location,\" demonstrating that the conceptualization of poverty at the local level represents an important step in our fight against poverty. Insights from the diverse experiences of 12 countries are drawn together in the first two chapters, on key elements in the successful implementation and utilization of poverty maps and on the political economy of poverty maps. The case studies in the volume highlight the wide range of policies and interventions that have been influenced by poverty maps, including, but not limited to, the location of investments and services, the creation of district and municipal development plans, and the allocation of grants and fiscal transfers. They show that successfully implemented and appropriately utilized poverty maps may lead to radical shifts in the perception of poverty and in strategies designed to address poverty.

Using three quinquennial rounds of consumption expenditure data over two decades (1993–2012), this paper estimates the extent of money metric poverty and inequality in regions of India. Regions are made comparable, and the poverty head count ratio and the poverty gap ratio for 81 regions are derived using the state specific poverty lines as recommended by the Planning Commission of India. The gini index, rich–poor ratio and regression analyses are used to understand the extent of economic inequality in regions of India. Results indicate that though the extent of poverty has declined, economic inequality has increased in regions of India. During 1993–2012, the poverty head count ratio had decreased in 70 regions, increased in seven regions and remained similar in four regions of India. The southern regions of Odisha and southern regions of Chhattisgarh are reeling under high persistent poverty. The spread in poverty head count ratio among regions has increased from 0.38 in 1993–1994 to 0.64 in 2011–2012 confirming divergence in regional poverty in India. The pattern is similar with respect to poverty gap ratio. Regions of Tripura and Sikkim had highest improvements in poverty level. On contrast to poverty estimates, the gini index has decreased in 20 regions and increased in 61 regions. Likewise, 57 regions have recorded increase in rich–poor ratio. The rich–poor ratio was higher in developed regions and lower in less developed regions. Based on these findings, we suggest that regions with persistently high poverty be accorded priority in poverty alleviation program and explore the factors leading to increasing economic inequality.