As of March 2026, this website is no longer being updated. I now work mainly on climate issues, especially in Brighton and Hove, and new work can be found on the website of Climate:Change, our independent think-tank on socially inclusive action in the City: www.climatechangebh.org.uk.
Meanwhile, however, this website has over 850 entries, mostly representing my work on international development from 2010-2025. Among much else, there are over 50 book reviews, more than 20 papers and training cases on bridging research and policy and on managing think-tanks, nearly 100 articles on climate change, and many papers on other topics, including aid, food security and nutrition, and the future of international development. See ‘Topics and Themes’ for more details. I can be reached at sm@simonmaxwell.net.
Options for Rural Poverty Reduction in Central America
Options for Rural Poverty Reduction in Central America, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Briefing Paper, Feb 2003, with Richards et al
In the seven countries of Central America, about half the population now lives in urban areas. However, most of the poor still live in rural areas; and rural people are twice as likely to be poor as urban dwellers (Box 1). Migration from rural areas has made a big contribution to rural poverty reduction, up to 75% of the latter by some estimates. However, reducing rural poverty directly is essential if the Millennium Development Goals are to be met................. (see link in title for full article)