Fighting poverty with facts : community-based monitoring systems

French version available in IDRC Digital Library: Faits, une arme contre la pauvreté : systèmes de suivi communautaire de la pauvretéSpanish version available in IDRC Digital Library: Combatiendo la pobreza con hechos : sistemas de seguimiento comunitarioShifts towards decentralized government are not often accompanied by a corresponding shift in the countries’ statistical systems. This book presents the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS): CBMS approaches bring together communities and local authorities to gather and monitor locally obtained, verifiable information about actual living conditions, for use in planning and policy-making. Drawing from CBMS experience in Africa and Asia, the authors present recommendations for policymakers, donor agencies, and researchers. IDRC has supported CBMS research in 15 countries of Asia and Africa. As the various country experiences show, real benefits quickly accrue to communities as well as their governments