The policy and institutional reforms required to alleviate dire poverty in the region will be dauntingly difficult to implement. Effective agrarian reforms, for example, imply an organised peasantry and unionised agricultural labour force that is autonomous, democratic, and durable. They also imply that campesinos pressing for reforms can find powerful allies in other sectors of society.
Urban reforms are no easier.
The subsidiarity principle suggests that policy decisions should be taken at the lowest possible level. Many policies to alleviate poverty, however, must necessarily be adopted and enforced at national or global levels. Moreover, autonomous democratic pressures from the poor can be very dangerous for those attempting to exert them. This is especially so in countries where national governments derive their legitimacy from powerful groups who support them precisely for the purpose of preventing reforms which might emanate from democratic popular participation. Popularly based national development strategies are essential.