Book Review Do the Poor Count? Democratic Institutions and Accountability in the Context of Poverty

Structural adjustment policies and the neoliberal bent of the (post-)Washington Consensus have left many developing countries with stubbornly high levels of poverty and persistently unequal income distribution structures, especially in Latin America. This result forces development experts to look for institutional and political explana-tions to answer questions about successful development. In this context, “Do the poor count? ” is one of the most important questions that need to be asked. Taylor-Robinson examines this question mainly in the context of Honduras, one of the poorest countries in Latin America. Her book links theoretical arguments from the political sciences with research on the legislative processes under-lying public policies that were originally designed to lower poverty levels, and thus constitutes relevant reading for experts from both fields of expertise. Anyone looking to engage students of either the social sciences or public policy in a debate about democratic accountability should put this book on their reading lists. Do the Poor Count? explores whether, when and how poor people count after elec-tions in democratic regimes. It examines how the limited ability of poor people t