1. Concepts, research questions, and sources of evidence/John Farrington and Priya Deshingkar. 2. Economic reform: globalization, liberalization, and economic and social indicators/N.C. Saxena and John Farrington. 3. Political reform: local power and politics in India/Craig Johnson. 4. Who are the poor, anyway?/N.C. Saxena, Priya Deshingkar. 5. Centre-state fiscal relations and changing priorities for public funding in rural development/N.C. Saxena, Jos Mooij, Mahendra Dev and John Farrington. 6. Poverty-reduction policies -- a brief overview/John Farrington, N.C. Saxena and Priya Deshingkar. 7. Conclusions: linking concepts and trends to the rural reality/John Farrington, N.C. Saxena and Priya Deshingkar. II. Changing livelihood contexts in the study locations/Priya Deshingkar, Daniel Start and John Farrington: 1. The samples. 2. Methods. 3. Broad livelihood trajectories and causal factors. 4. Broad occupational shifts: winners and losers. 5. Conclusions: broad diversification strategies. III. Agricultural livelihoods in an era of economic reform and globalization/Priya Deshingkar and John Farrington: 1. Agriculture and natural resource-based livelihoods in an era of economic reform and globalization/Priya Deshingkar and John Farrington. 2. Farming and market exclusion in Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh: Poverty traps and opportunities for accumulation/Priya Deshingkar and Daniel Start. 3. Conclusions and implications for policy/Priya Deshingkar and John Farrington. IV. Diversifying beyond the farm/John Farrington, Priya Deshingkar and Daniel Start: 1. Introduction/Sheila Bhalla. 2. Liberalizing the rural economy/N.C. Saxena. 3. Microfinance realities/Sanjay Sinha, Tanmay Chetan, Orlanda Ruthven and Nilotpal Pathak. 4. From microcredit to livelihood finance/Vijay Mahajan. 5. Rural-urban links and the urbanization of the countryside/Sheila Bhalla. 6. Moving mud, shifting soil: changes in wage labour livelihoods/Orlanda Ruthven and Sushil Kumar. 7. Occupational diversification, household strategies, and non-farm options in Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh/Daniel Start and Priya Deshingkar. 8. New options: seasonal migration of labour as a livelihood strategy/Priya Deshingkar and Daniel Start. 9. Conclusions/John Farrington and Priya Deshingkar. V. Policies to protect and promote livelihoods/John Farrington and Priya Deshingkar: 1. Introduction: social protection--definitions and concepts/John Farrington. 2. Poverty slides in the countryside: shocks, finance and welfare in varying contexts/Daniel Start and Priya Deshingkar. 3. Reaching the poor? The implementation of poverty schemes in India/Radhika Nayak, John Farrington and N.C. Saxena. 4. Conclusions/John Farrington and Priya Deshingkar. VI. Politics, livelihoods, and poverty/Craig Johnson: 1. Introduction: power and politics in rural India/Craig Johnson. 2. Does governance matter? Power and politics in the Gram Panchayats/Craig Johnson, Priya Deshingkar and Daniel Start. 3. Local politics and the 'logic' of development distribution in Madhya Pradesh/Vikas Singh, Bhupendra Gehlot, Daniel Start and Craig Johnson. 4. Governance, corruption, and food for work in Andhra Pradesh/Priya Deshingkar and Craig Johnson. 5. Politics, livelihoods, and poverty: concluding remarks and options for policy/Craig Johnson. Appendices. VII. Conclusions/John Farrington Priya Deshingkar, Craig Johnson and Daniel Start: 1. The concepts: between market and structure. 2. Findings of the study within these policy contexts. 3. Policy options. 4. Final word: a positive note. Annexes: i. The unorganized sector: conceptual categories and coverage. ii. The concepts of plan and non-plan disbursements. iii. The measurement of poverty in India. iv. Findings of the comptroller and auditor general in relation to the implementation of centrally sponsored schemes. Glossary. Index.