After all, if they have done it, others can do it too. These are the five sets of policy recommendations to reduce extreme poverty which are put forward in the Better World for All report, which many of the articles in this Spotlight are based on. Empowering poor people is the starting point of the proposed strategy. That means opening political space for poor people to organise. It also means providing opportunities for women and minorities, by encouraging them to participate as fully as possible in the political process and its institutions.
Democratisation has to go beyond elections.
It has to promote an independent judiciary, an open civil society and a free media, all of which can make governments accountable for their promises and actions. Empowering people requires a commitment to respect fundamental human rights and the rule of law. This is up from a tenth of countries just 10 years ago. Honest and responsive government fosters indeed embodies human development. Economic growth is not a guarantee of poverty reduction, though it is clearly essential for sustaining poverty reduction in the long term.