Armando Barrientos is Professor and Research Director at the Brooks World Poverty Institute at the University of Manchester. His research interests focus on the linkages between welfare programmes and labour markets in developing countries, and on policies addressing poverty, vulnerability and population ageing. His most recent books are Just Give Money to the Poor (2010, with J. Hanlon and D. Hulme), Demographics, Employment and Old Age Security: Emerging Trends and Challenges in South Asia (2010, edited with Moneer Alam) and Social Protection for the Poor and Poorest (2008, edited with D. Hulme).

'In this complex but accessible book, Armando Barrientos locates the exponential recent growth of social assistance programmes in developing countries in its historical and political context. Uniquely, he weaves together ethical arguments and economic analysis, to explain why social assistance has emerged as one of the most powerful tools for fighting poverty in our times. No-one who reads this seminal book can fail to be convinced that social assistance for the poor is not only effective but also affordable and ethically indispensable.' Stephen Devereux, Institute of Development Studies

• Part I. Introduction: 1. The emergence of social assistance in developing countries; Part II. Foundations: 2. Ethical foundations; 3. Poverty concepts and measures for social assistance; 4. Optimal anti-poverty transfers; Part III. Practice: 5. Anti-poverty transfers in practice; 6. Incidence, implementation and impact; 7. Budgets, finance and politics; Part IV. Conclusion: 8. The future of social assistance in developing countries.

Armando Barrientos is Professor and Research Director at the Brooks World Poverty Institute at the University of Manchester. His research interests focus on the linkages between welfare programmes and labour markets in developing countries, and on policies addressing poverty, vulnerability and population ageing. His most recent books are Just Give Money to the Poor (2010, with J. Hanlon and D. Hulme), Demographics, Employment and Old Age Security: Emerging Trends and Challenges in South Asia (2010, edited with Moneer Alam) and Social Protection for the Poor and Poorest (2008, edited with D. Hulme).

'In this complex but accessible book, Armando Barrientos locates the exponential recent growth of social assistance programmes in developing countries in its historical and political context. Uniquely, he weaves together ethical arguments and economic analysis, to explain why social assistance has emerged as one of the most powerful tools for fighting poverty in our times. No-one who reads this seminal book can fail to be convinced that social assistance for the poor is not only effective but also affordable and ethically indispensable.' Stephen Devereux, Institute of Development Studies

• Part I. Introduction: 1. The emergence of social assistance in developing countries; Part II. Foundations: 2. Ethical foundations; 3. Poverty concepts and measures for social assistance; 4. Optimal anti-poverty transfers; Part III. Practice: 5. Anti-poverty transfers in practice; 6. Incidence, implementation and impact; 7. Budgets, finance and politics; Part IV. Conclusion: 8. The future of social assistance in developing countries.

Armando Barrientos is Professor and Research Director at the Brooks World Poverty Institute at the University of Manchester. His research interests focus on the linkages between welfare programmes and labour markets in developing countries, and on policies addressing poverty, vulnerability and population ageing. His most recent books are Just Give Money to the Poor (2010, with J. Hanlon and D. Hulme), Demographics, Employment and Old Age Security: Emerging Trends and Challenges in South Asia (2010, edited with Moneer Alam) and Social Protection for the Poor and Poorest (2008, edited with D. Hulme).

'In this complex but accessible book, Armando Barrientos locates the exponential recent growth of social assistance programmes in developing countries in its historical and political context. Uniquely, he weaves together ethical arguments and economic analysis, to explain why social assistance has emerged as one of the most powerful tools for fighting poverty in our times. No-one who reads this seminal book can fail to be convinced that social assistance for the poor is not only effective but also affordable and ethically indispensable.' Stephen Devereux, Institute of Development Studies

• Part I. Introduction: 1. The emergence of social assistance in developing countries; Part II. Foundations: 2. Ethical foundations; 3. Poverty concepts and measures for social assistance; 4. Optimal anti-poverty transfers; Part III. Practice: 5. Anti-poverty transfers in practice; 6. Incidence, implementation and impact; 7. Budgets, finance and politics; Part IV. Conclusion: 8. The future of social assistance in developing countries.