Do the Poor Count? Democratic Institutions and Accountability in the Context of Poverty By Michelle Taylor-Robinson Penn State Press. 2010. 223 pages. $69.95 cloth, $34.95 paper

Extract

Structural adjustment policies and the neoliberal bent of the (post-)Washington Consensus have left many developing countries with stubbornly high levels of poverty and persistently unequal income distribution structures, especially in Latin America. This result forces development experts to look for institutional and political explanations to answer questions about successful development.

In this context, “Do the poor count?” is one of the most important questions that need to be asked. Taylor-Robinson examines this question mainly in the context of Honduras, one of the poorest countries in Latin America. Her book links theoretical arguments from the political sciences with research on the legislative processes underlying public policies that were originally designed to lower poverty levels, and thus constitutes relevant reading for experts from both fields of expertise. Anyone looking to engage students of either the social sciences or public policy in a debate about democratic accountability should put this book on their reading lists.