Abstract

The international atmosphere is now supportive of poverty alleviation programmes, an attitude that is reflected in the concerns of “donor ” (read: “lender”) agencies, notably the World Bank and the IMF.   However, given the institutional constraints under which lenders work, their practices often have negative fall-outs for the goal of poverty alleviation.   There is thus a need to engage in dialogue with lenders, and to set up fora at the regional level at which such a discussion may take place.   This paper seeks to delineate the intellectual framework for such a dialogue.   It identifies four areas of discussion: (i) the peculiar perspective of lenders which obscures the linkages which exist between the entire spectrum of their activities and the condition of life of the poor in borrowing countries; (ii) the need to minimize these negative fall-outs; (iii) the need to maximise existing positive linkages; and (iv) the possibility of charting new areas of activities in collaborative ways.   Finally, the paper suggests one concrete sequence of steps to design and implement a regional poverty alleviation programme.