Attacking Poverty in the Developing World: Christian Practitioners and Academics in Collaboration

The needs of the poor in developing countries for more productive and satisfying ways to earn their living, and for better nutrition, education and health care are tremendous. God in his grace moves his people to contribute money, skills and other resources to meet these needs, often through the work of Christian development organizations. But the resources forthcoming from a fallen world are limited, and the call to exercise good stewardship over them is pressing.This book equips Christians for thoughtful stewardship: the application of God-given analytical abilities in making the most of the limited resources available. In particular, it calls Christian development professionals to collaborate in thinking flexibly about the range of programs and policies that might be used to help the poor, and in gathering the evidence required for making wise program and policy design choices. For those in all stages of relief and development efforts, this book provides an expert and accessible introduction to the choices and challenges that development organizations face today, it challenges received wisdom and pushes readers to consider ways of improving the status quo, and highlights areas in which research and participation might be especially useful to Christian development efforts.

Dr. Judith M. Dean is currently an International Economist in the Office of Economics, U.S. International Trade Commission. She was Associate Professor of Economics at SAIS, Johns Hopkins University and has been a consultant to the World Bank and the OECD. Dr. Dean received her PhD in economics from Cornell University and is a former president and active member of the Association of Christian Economists and a former member of the Board of World Relief.

Dr. Julie Schaffner is on the faculty of the Fletcher School at Tufts University. She was the Deputy Director of the Center for Research on Economic Development and Policy Reform, Assistant Professor at Stanford University, a consultant to the World Bank and UNESCO, and has served on the boards of the Association of Christian Economists and the Council on Faith and International Affairs. Dr. Schaffner received her PhD in economics from Yale University and holds a fellowship from McNamara.

Dr. Stephen L. S. Smith is Professor of Economics at Gordon College, where he chairs the Department of Economics and Business. He also serves as coeditor of Faith & Economics, the review published by the Association of Christian Economists. His research in international economics and economic development has been published widely in professional journals. A 1990 Visiting Scholar at the U.S. International Trade Commission, he earned his PhD in economics at Stanford University.