Introduction; A.B.Deolalikar & E.M.Pernia PART I: GENERAL ESSAYS Poverty Reduction: Approaches and the Role of Political Institutions; A.B.Deolalikar and E.M.Pernia Sociocultural Factors Affecting Poverty and Poverty Reduction; M.Racelis & M.Concepcion Castro Guevara Public Sector Reform and Poverty Reduction; A.B.Brillantes Jr Decentralization and Poverty Reduction; R.Gaiha PART II: COUNTRY STUDIES Revisiting Growth and Poverty Reduction in Indonesia; A.M.Balisacan, E.M.Pernia & A.Asra Poverty, Inequality and Growth in the Philippines; A.M.Balisacan & E.M.Pernia Poverty, Growth and Inequality in Thailand; A.B.Deolalikar Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction in Vietnam; A.M.Balisacan, E.M.Pernia & G.E.B.Estrada