GPP 115: Global Poverty - Challenges and Hopes in the New Millennium

Find a book that matches your topic and go to the call number range to browse. Check the references and bibliography.

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Unless you are familiar with the historical information of a region it is a good idea to get background information on your topic first.  Books often provide this information so a search in Oskicat for general works is usually worth it. 

You will find more detailed information in peer-reviewed journal articles (see below).  Rather than looking on the web for a project, see if you can a related article first using the databases listed below.  Then if you wish you can search for primary sources (see next page) for detailed descriptions and outcomes of the project as provided by the actual organizations or participants.

A secondary source is a work that interprets or analyzes an event or phenomenon.  It is generally at least one step removed from the event and is often based on primary sources.  Below are selected databases indexing the literature (books, articles, reports, government documents, etc) relevant to the three "problem spaces" for this assignment..  See also the sections on  publishers in the field of poverty as well as highly cited journals in poverty and development studies.

Proquest Social Sciences. An interdisciplinary metasearch through 22 of the the social sciences indexes on the ProQuest platform. Includes EconLit, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS), Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts, PAIS, PsycInfo, Sociological Abstracts, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts and more.

ABSEES Online Database. Indexes journal articles, books, dissertations, selected government publications, and online resources published in the US and Canada on East and Central Europe, Russia, and the former Soviet Union.

Africa-Wide NiPAD. A comprehensive database covering journals, magazines, newspapers, broadcasts, books and more on all aspects of Africa including politics, history, economics, literature, music and natural sciences. Combines the databases previously known as African Studies and South African Studies.

Anthropology Plus. Indexes journal articles, essays, reports, commentaries, edited works, and obituaries in the fields of social, cultural, physical, biological, and linguistic anthropology as well as ethnology, archaeology, folklore, and material culture. This database combines the resources of Anthropological Index and Anthropological Literature.

Bibliography of Asian Studies (BAS). Over 500,000 citations to journal articles, books, and conference proceedings worldwide on the countries, histories, and cultures of East, South, and Southeast Asia.

Elsevier Geography.  Indexes over 2000 journals, monographs, books, conference proceedings, and theses covering the international literature in human geography, as well as international development issues.

Handbook of Latin American Studies. Indexes books, journals and proceedings to create an annual bibliography on Latin America consisting of works selected and annotated by scholars, alternating between focusing on the humanities and the social sciences.

Index Islamicus. Indexes literature on Islam, the Middle East and the Muslim world. Over 3,000 journals are monitored for inclusion in the database, together with conference proceedings, monographs, multi-authored works and book reviews. Journals and books are indexed down to the article and chapter level.

International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS). Indexes over 3000 journals, books, chapters, and book reviews in the fields of economics, political science, sociology, and anthropology from more than 100 countries. More than 70 languages are represented, with 30% percent of records published in languages other than English.

JSTOR. Includes over 1000 scholarly journals with access to more than 2 million articles. JSTOR is an archive which means that current issues (generally the most recent 3-5 years) of the journals are not yet available.

PolicyFile. Index to public policy in the areas of economics, politics, the environment, and social issues, taken from reports from a wide range of think tanks, Non-governmental organizations, international governmental organizations, and other institutions worldwide.

Sociological Abstracts. Indexes over 1,900 journals, books, dissertations, and reviews in the social sciences on sociological topics as well as selected anthropology, criminology, demography, law, social psychology, and urban development.

The following is a selection of highly cited journals in the fields of poverty and development.  If looking for articles to support your research try a combined keyword and journal title(s) search in one of the databases listed above. The following entries link directly to the ejournal if all content is online, and to Oskicat if some issues are print only or on multiple platforms.

World Development. Examines solutions to poverty, unemployment, malnutrition, disease, lack of shelter, environmental degradation, debt, gender, ethnic discrimination, civil conflict, and lack of participation in economic and political life.

The Lancet.  One of the world's best known general medical journals, publishing original research,  editorials, book reviews, correspondence,  and news on all aspects of human health, Includes social, economic and political commentary on public health issues, poverty, development, and epidemics.

Journal of Development Studies.  Oldest journal in the field of development studies, publishing interdisciplinary articles on development relating to economics, politics, public policy, and practice. 

Oxford Development Studies.  Provides a forum for critical analysis of conventional theories and policy issues in all aspects of development, including economics, history, politics, anthropology, and sociology.

Development Policy Review. Covers poverty-reduction strategies, inequality and social exclusion, property rights, sustainable livelihoods, globalisation in trade and finance, and the reform of global governance. Edited by the Overseas Development Institute.

Studies in Comparative International Development.  Addresses political, social, economic, and environmental change, including political institutions, economic growth and income distribution, and the transformation of social structure and culture.

Development and Change.  Interdisciplinary journal known for publishing unconventional analyses in the field of development studies and social change, covering a range of topics from all persuasions concerned with development.

Journal of International Development.  Research on development issues in economics, politics, international relations, sociology, anthropology, and development studies, focusing on transitional and underdeveloped areas.

Development.   "Provides dialogue between activists and intellectuals committed to the search for alternative paths of social transformation towards a more sustainable and just world."  From the Society for International Development.

Third World Quarterly. Examines emerging issues affecting the developing world beyond strict “development studies,” providing analysis of grassroot efforts of development practitioners and planners across Africa, Asia, Latin American and the Middle East.

The following publishers either specialize in or publish frequently in the areas of poverty, development and humanitarian relief.  Try looking up the publisher as a keyword in Oskicat or browsing publications on their web sites.  Other publishers you may wish to consider include the University Presses (Cambridge, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, MIT etc) which have high publishing standards.  When in doubt check the academic credentials of the publisher in question.

Earthscan. Publisher of books on environmental and sustainable development topics and issues.

Institute of Development Studies (IDS). Think tank based in the UK working on research, teaching and communications on international development, globalisation, participation, power, and social change.

Kumarian Press. Publishes books on international development, globalization, peace and conflict resolution, human rights, the environment, women and gender, NGOs and civil society, microfinance, health, and the interaction between the richer and poorer societies.

International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED).  Non-profit organization promoting sustainable patterns of world development through collaborative research, policy studies, networking and knowledge dissemination.

Overseas Development Institute. Think tank on international development and humanitarian issues, informing policy and practice leading to poverty reduction, the alleviation of suffering and the achievement of sustainable livelihoods in developing countries.

Practical Action Publishing. Development charity in the UK working with poor communities on  renewable energy, food production, agro-processing, sustainable transport, water, sanitation, small enterprise development, building and shelter, and disaster risk reduction.

Oxfam (UK).  International confederation of organisations working in countries worldwide to find lasting solutions to poverty and realted injustice around the world

Polity Press.  Publishes books on globalization, politics, refugee studies and international relations.

Routledge.  Publishes on a wide range of subjects, including many on development studies, area studies, urban studies, politics and international relations, and social work.

Zed Books. Publishes on politics, development, gender, the environment and economics, specializing in international and developing country issues.

Primary sources are either created during the time period being studied or were created at a later date by a participant in the events being studied.  They reflect the individual viewpoint of a participant or observer.  Primary sources enable the researcher to get as close as possible to what actually happened during an historical event or time period.

The following sources may be used to locate poverty interventions from International, Foreign National, and U.S State & Local Governments, as well as Nongovernmental Organizations.  Some of the sources may be limited to information and analysis about poverty iniatives, goals and strategies, rather than complete reports of specific interventions.

Many microcredit and development institutions (e.g. BRAC, Grameen, and ASA) are described in depth in Poverty Capital.  To find additional institutions you may also search on directory sites such as the Microfinance Gateway or the Grameen Trust Replication Program.

To get started finding International Governmental Organization (IGO) Information you may wish to try the following IGO Custom Search Engine, which was initiated by David Oldenkamp, International Documents Librarian at Indiana University, and searches 392 urls of International Governmental Organizations (IGOs).

Global Issues on the UN Agenda. UN Reference tool for links to online documents, agencies, and other resources on a wide range of important topics on the UN Agenda.

European Union Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO). Humanitarian aid office of the European Union. Site includes lists of publications and decisions.

Human Development Report Library. The web site includes the UNDP flagship publication the Human Development Report, as well as national human development reports from over 250 countries and regions.

IFAD Operations Database.  Portal of projects and programmes on poverty issues affecting countries world wide. From the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Search menu is on the lower left.

Relief Web. Web portal from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Hails itself as "the world's leading gateway to information on humanitarian emergencies and disasters."

Rural Poverty Portal.  Portal from the International Fund for Agricultural development on a wide range of poverty issues, country reports and development strategies, from international agencies world wide, including development banks and other international organizations.

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). United Nations children's agency.  Provides long-term humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing countries

United Nations and Business Web site. Provides information on partnerships and alliances between the UN and the private sector to help further the UN Millennium Devleopment Goals.

United Nations Capital Development Fund. Investment fund for Least Developed Countries to help reduce poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals

United Nations Office for Project Services.  Works to implementing projects for the United Nations System, international financial institutions, governments and other partners in the aid world.

UN Habitat. United Nations agency for human settlements mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The United Nations Refugee Agency. Includes many online books, papers and statistics.

To find reviews and other reports documenting flows of foreign assistance from countries with significant foreign assistance plans, do a subject search in Oskicat or Melvyl:

economic assistance, british

economic assistance, canadian africa

economic assistance, japanese developing countries

economic assistance, american asia

Asian Development Bank. Information on loans, investment, and technical assistance for a broad range of Asian development projects.

African Development Bank. Regional development Bank for Africa.  See also their flagship publication African Development Review.

Caribbean Development Bank. Regional financial and economic development institution for the Caribbean.

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Development bank to provide project financing for Easterm Europe and Central Asia.

InterAmerican Development Bank. Regional development bank focusing on economic development and technical cooperation projects for Latin America. See also IDB America.

International Monetary Fund 

• Article IV Staff Reports. Country "surveillance reports" conducted by IMF missions teams on an ongoing basis for all member states, and reports made in response to states' requests to borrow funds. Not all reports are made public.
• Country Reports. Rich source of information by country: see especially the statistical appendices.
• IMF Country Policy Intention Documents.  IMF documents prepared by countries outlining policy intentions for use of Fund resources or staff-monitored programs.

Islamic Development Bank. Largest multilateral development institution in the Middle East, located in Saudi Arabia.

OECD iLibrary. Online library from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) an international economic organisation and leading international organization for foreign aid (development assistance) data. 

World Bank 

• International Development Association (IDA). Branch of the World Bank that helps the poorest countries by providing loans aimed at boosting economic growth and improving living conditions.
• Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers. Also includes Joint Staff advisory Notes and Joint Staff Assessments.
• World Bank & Poverty Reduction. Gateway to World Bank Poverty measurement, analysis and reduction strategies. Includes topical and country listings as well as data on poverty and inequality.
• World Bank E-library (UCB Access Only). Database for hundreds of full-text World Bank publications. Topics covered include economics, public policy, education, international development, gender, the environment, and more.
• World Bank Country Papers. Web portal of World Bank publications by country. See also the World Bank Country Study series of reports.  In the online catalogs do a series search for world bank country study
  
• World Bank Project Documents. Full-text of World Bank project reports, including evaluation reports, working papers, and project appraisals.

The amount of information on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) on the Internet is large so locating NGO information by subject or geography can be difficult. The following links and  the NGO search engine below may help. 

NGO Custom Search Engine

This search engine was developed by David Oldenkamp at Indiana University and James Jacobs at Stanford. The site seaches NGOs with Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council and other NGO directories on the Internet.

Directory of Development Organizations. Over 47,000 organizations of all kinds listed by region and country. One of the most extensive compilation of NGO country directories.

Idealist.Org. Includes a searchable directory of over 52,000 organizations by name, mission, country of focus, and more.

Non-Governmental Organizations Research Guide (Duke University). Guide enabling users to browse NGOs by issue, region, and affiliation.

TakingITGlobal. International non-profit organization centered on young people interested in connecting across cultures. Outstanding source of NGO information by country and area of focus. Go to browse organizations.

USAID Directory of Registered NGOs. From the US Agency for International Development.

The UC Berkeley Libraries are one of the very few libraries in the United States which continue to collect foreign government information on a large scale.  We have particularly strong collections for Africa, Latin America, South Asia, and the Pacific Islands.  Do a search in Oskicat for "poverty" and a country. 

African Governments Custom Search. This is a search engine for web sites from Sub-Saharan African governments. For best results, search using the official language(s) of the country you are interested in.

Africa South of the Sahara. One of the most comprehensive web portals for Sub-saharan Africa. Fully searchable and browseable by topic (e.g. environment, human rights) and by country/region

Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Canadian Aid & International Development Agency.

Department of International Development. United Kingdom International Development Agency.

Foreign/International Governments Custom Search. Collection of Google custom search engines from Carleton University Library, including Asia & the Pacific, Latin America, & the Middle East.  Includes a mix of sites from international agencies, news services, and NGOs.

Foreign Government Information by Country.  Very nicely organized directory of government sites from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Foreign Government Internet Sites.  Links to the official government legislative and agency sites of foreign governments. From Northwestern University Libraries.

Government in Latin America - Provides links to regional organizations and government information by country. Information Includes: constitutions, presidential messages, central bank reports, and other official documents. From the University of Texas Latin American Information Center (UT Lanic).

Swedish International Development Cooperaton Agency (SIDA). Swedish International Aid agency.

Govscan. Google Custom search engine that searches state and  local government websites. Search the entire web site or limit by state.

ProQuest Congressional. One-stop shopping for U.S. congressional publications.  Provides indexing and abstracts of congressional publications back to 1789, including full text of published Congressional Hearings, full text Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports from 1916-present and more.

USA.gov.  Official United States Government web portal, with specialized “gateways” for citizens, business and government employees.

USAID Documents. Online resource for USAID international development, with thousands documents available for download. Database is browseable by country and by subject.

United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Standing committee of the US House of Representatives with jurisdiction over related to the foreign affairs of the United States. Occassionally holds congressional hearings relating to poverty and development aid.

U.S. Overseas Loans and Grants (Green Book). Loans and grants from the US government each fiscal year by purpose and country.

The following selection of activist groups seek to reform and/or critique international financial and development institutions. While such groups provide an interesting and passionate viewpoint not all are not strictly academic so please check with your GSI before using web sites your research. Please also see also the select bibliography of books on international institutions and development aid. 

ActionAid USA. Advocates reforms in the areas of poverty reduction, trade, education, agriculture, and expenditure of IMF and World Bank funds.

Afrodad. Civil society organisation working to secure solutions to Africa's debt problems and development processes.

AfricaAction. Oldest organization in the U.S. working on African affairs. Includes position papers on the World Bank & IMF as well as the UN involvement in Darfur.

Alliance for a Corporate Free UN. International coalition exposing the human rights and environmental records of companies partnering with the UN. Part of Corpwatch, which opposes the UN Global Compact in which the UN has partnered with businesses to support environmental and social principles.

Bank Information Center. Partners with civil society to influence the World Bank and other international financial institutions (IFIs) to promote social and economic justice and ecological sustainability.

Bretton Woods Project. Works to scrutinise and influence the World Bank and IMF. Through briefings, reports and a bimonthly digest it monitors the projects, policy reforms and the overall management of the Bretton Woods institutions, with special emphasis on environmental and social concerns.

Development Today. Independent journal on aid, specialising on political, business and environmental issues related to Nordic and multilateral development assistance.

Friends of the Earth International. World's largest grassroots environmental network, with 5,000 activist groups on every continent.

Focus on the Global South. Combines policy research, advocacy, and grassroots capacity building to generate critical analysis and encourage debates on national and international policies and to "dismantle oppressive economic and political structures and institutions."

GenderAction. Organization dedicated to promoting gender equality and women’s rights in International Financial Institution (IFIs), e.g. the World Bank.

Halifax Iniative. Goal to fundamentally transform the international financial system and its institutions, namely the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and export credit agencies.

International Accountability Project. Public interest organization offering legal support to people seeking to hold international financial institutions (IFIs) accountable for violations of environmental and human rights law.

International Forum on Globalization. Alliance of activists, scholars, economists, researchers and writers formed to stimulate new thinking, activity, and public education in response to economic globalization.

New Rules for Global Finance. Coalition of development, human rights, labor, environmental, and religious organizations and scholars dedicated to the reform of the global financial architecture.

One Campaign. International non-profit organization which aims to increase government funding for and effectiveness of international aid programs

Probe International. Canadian based group exposes the environmental, social, and economic effects of Canada's aid and trade abroad.

South Asian Network on Dams, Rivers and People. Civil-society network designed to bring together organizations of civil society, governments, and the World Bank in a review of structural adjustment programs (SAPs).

Structural Adjustment Participatory Review Information Networ (SAPRIN). Civil society group working with the World Bank to review structural adjustment programs.

Third World Network. Non-profit international network of organizations involved in issues relating to development, the Third World and North-South issues.

World Development Movement. UK based NGO focusing on world poverty and a wide range of development topics - climate change, debt relief, World Bank & IMF reform, etc.

World Social Forum. "Open meeting place" created to discuss strategies of resistance to the model for globalisation formulated by large multinational corporations, national governments, IMF, the World Bank and the WTO

The following is a select bibliography of books that address international financial institutions (IFIs) and development aid. The UC Berkeley libraries have many similar titles. Use the Oskicat or Melvyl catalogs to do subject searches on topics like "globalization economic aspects," or by the name of the institution.

Adams, Patricia. Odious Debts: Loose Lending, Corruption and the Third World's Environmental Legacy. London, Earthscan, 1991.

Cavanagh, John, and Mander, Jerry (eds.). Alternatives to Economic Globalization: A Better World Is Possible. San Francisco, CA : Berrett-Koehler, 2004.

Ariel Buira (ed.). Challenges to the World Bank and IMF: Developing Country Perspectives. London: Anthem Press, 2003.

Carroll, Toby. Delusions of development: the World Bank and the post-Washington consensus in Southeast Asia.  New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2010.

Cavanaugh, John, Daphne Wysham and Marcos Arruda (eds).  Beyond Bretton Woods: Alternatives to the Global Economic Order. London: Pluto Press, 1994.

Danaher, Kevin (ed.). Fifty Years Is Enough: The Case Against the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Boston: South End Press, 1994.

Danaher, Kevin. 10 reasons to abolish the IMF & World Bank, foreword by Anuradha Mittal.  New York: Seven Stories Press, 2004.

Darrow, Mac. Between Light and Shadow: The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and International Human Rights Law. Portland, Ore., Hart Publishing, 2003.

Gould, Erica R. Money talks: the International Monetary Fund, conditionality, and supplementary financiers.  Stanford, Calif. :  Stanford University Press, 2006.

Hancock, Graham.  Lords of poverty: the free-wheeling lifestyles, power, prestige and corruption of the multi-billion dollar aid business. London : Macmillan London, 1989.

Karunaratne, Garvin. How the IMF ruined Sri Lanka & alternative programmes of success. Colombo : Godage International Publishers, 2006.

Peet, Richard.  Unholy trinity: the IMF, World Bank and WTO. 2nd ed.  London.  New York : Zed Books , 2009.

Pincus, Jonathon and Winters, Jeffrey A. Reinventing the World Bank. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2002.

Rowden, Rick. The deadly ideas of neoliberalism: how the IMF has undermined public health and the fight against AIDS.  London ; New York : Zed Books, 2009.

Stiglitz, Joseph. Globalization and its Discontents. New York: W.W. Norton, 2002.

Toussaint, Eric. Bank of the south: an alternate to IMF-World Bank. Mumbai : Vikas Adhyayan Kendra, 2007.

Vines, David and Christopher Gilbert. The IMF and its Critics: Reform of the Global Financial Architecture. Cambridge, UK and New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004.

Weaver, Catherine. Hypocrisy trap: the World Bank and the poverty of reform. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2008.

You may wish to contact the following areas studies librarians if you require additional help working with primary and secondary sources in foreign languages. UC Berkeley area studies librarians provide expert assistance across disciplines for all the languages and geographic regions listed below.

African Collections (Jason Schultz: contact)

Chinese Collections/East Asian Library (Jianye He: contact)

French, Canadian, Iberian, & Italian Collections (Claude Potts: contact)

Dutch, Germanic & Scandanavian Collections (Jim Spohrer: contact)

Japanese Collections/East Asian Library (Ishimatsu, Hisayuki: contact)

Judaica Collections (Paul Hamburg: contact)

Korean Collections (Jae-yong Chang: contact)

Latin American Studies Collections (Carlos Delgado: contact)

Middle Eastern Studies (Shayee Khanaka: contact)

Slavic & East European Collections (Allan Urbanic: contact)

South Asia Collections (Adnan Malik: contact)

SouthEast Asian Collections (Virginia Shih: contact)

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