Governance reforms that are truly empowering for the poor, responsive to their needs, and effective in reducing poverty are rare (Crook and Sverrisson 2001:iii). In a 2001 analysis of decentralization cases from about a dozen locations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, only Brazil, Colombia, and the Indian states of West Bengal and Karnataka showed good results in terms of increasing policy responsiveness to the poor, or reducing poverty and inequality (Crook and Sverrisson 2001:14-15).
Most reforms in the name of decentralization come up short in two areas that are critical to bringing about benefits to local populations and the poor: they don
