Attempts to radically reduce poverty and inequality in the world have enjoyed limited success and more than a billion people continue to live in poverty. This book reviews important theoretical and methodological approaches to poverty, politics and development and critically examines current efforts to reduce poverty with a focus on a select few interrelated topics development theory, democracy, inequality and economic growth, globalisation, sustainable development, labour markets, microfinance, gender and land reforms, foreign aid, development NGOs, multilateral institutions, human rights and development ethics. The topics reflect the rich milieu of development research in Norway and the interdisciplinary background of the authors, who represent the disciplines of political science, economics, philosophy, political economy, sociology, anthropology, history and development studies. Dan Banik is Associate Professor at the Centre for Development and the Environment, University of Oslo.