Published for the World Bank by Oxford University Press in 2002, this third and final volume of the Voices of the Poor series presents 14 country case studies from Africa (Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria), South and East Asia (Bangladesh, India, Indonesia), Europe and Central Asia (Bosnia, Bulgaria, Kyrgyz Republic, Russia), and Latin America and the Caribbean (Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Jamaica). Using participatory and qualitative research methods, the study presents the realities of poor people's lives directly through their own voices, with a concluding chapter on an empowering approach to development.

Specifically, this 528-page book includes the following:

• Table of Contents and Foreword (424KB)
• Chapter 1: Introduction (767KB)
• Chapter 2: Ghana: "Empty Pockets" (1.6MB)
• Chapter 3: Malawi: Tangled Web (1.6MB)
• Chapter 4: Nigeria: Illbeing and Insecurity (1.4MB)
• Chapter 5: Bangladesh: Waves of Disaster (1.6MB)
• Chapter 6: India: Gains and Stagnation in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh (1.6MB)
• Chapter 7: Indonesia: Coping with Vulnerability and Crisis (1.6MB)
• Chapter 8: Bosnia and Herzegovina: War-Torn Lives (1.1MB)
• Chapter 9: Bulgaria: Reeling from Change (1.8MB)
• Chapter 10: Kyrgyz Republic: Crumbling Support, Deepening Poverty (1.3MB)
• Chapter 11: The Russian Federation: Struggling against the Tide (1.5MB)
• Chapter 12: Argentina: Life Used to Be Better (1.4MB)
• Chapter 13: Brazil: Gains and Losses in the Favelas (1.5MB)
• Chapter 14: Ecuador: The Perils of Poverty (1.7MB)
• Chapter 15: Jamaica: Island in a Turbulent World (1.6MB)
• Chapter 16: Conclusion: An Empowering Approach to Poverty Reduction (1.6MB)
• Appendices (444KB)

The book may be ordered in hard-copy format by visiting The World Bank Publications website.