Empowering the poor: The politics of health and poverty reduction programmes

Health and poverty reduction are both usually understood in relation to income or physical well-being. Eugene Villar argues that it is important to take a broader human rights approach to health and development processes in order to address the deep political constraints that will empower people rather than promoting policies that are inequitable. In a recent history of policy debates in WHO and the World Bank, he shows how health and poverty have to be seen as multidimensional and inherently political in order for them to be effective and sustainable. © 2004 Society for International Development.