The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the importance of agriculture development in sustainable global poverty reduction: hearing before the Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology of the Committee on Financial Services, U.S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Ninth Congress, second session, September 12, 2006.

In cooperation with the Department of Rural Development Studies of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and the Nordic Africa Institute, the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in May 1998 held a seminar on poverty eradication in rural Africa, in recognition of the twentieth anniversity of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the launching of Sweden's new policy on partnerships with Africa, and the long-standing cooperation between the Nordic and African countries in the pursuit of poverty eradication. This volume presents papers from the seminar focussing on politico-economic reforms in Africa and their impact on different groups of rural poor; and on the role that access to assets can play in addressing poverty issues. The volume also covers IFAD's twenty years of experience, new challenges and opportunities in smallholder development in East and southern Africa, and knowledge creation and dissemination in the context of strategic partnerships and alliances.

International institutions are essential for tackling many of the most urgent challenges facing the world, from pandemics to humanitarian crises, yet we know little about when they succeed, when they fail, and why. This book proposes a new theory of institutional performance and tests it using a diverse array of sources, including the most comprehensive dataset on the topic. Challenging popular characterizations of international institutions as 'runaway bureaucracies,' Ranjit Lall argues that the most serious threat to performance comes from the pursuit of narrow political interests by states – paradoxically, the same actors who create and give purpose to institutions. The discreet operational processes through which international bureaucrats cultivate and sustain autonomy vis-à-vis governments, he contends, are critical to making institutions 'work.' The findings enhance our understanding of international cooperation, public goods, and organizational behavior while offering practical lessons to policymakers, NGOs, businesses, and citizens interested in improving institutional effectiveness.