This book aims to contribute to the evolving understanding of public expenditure management as a political, rather than a purely technical, process. In particular, it explores the ways in which a rights approach can contribute to strengthening pro-poor voice and outcomes in budget processes.

Since 2004, 13 research projects supported in South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America by the Women's Rights and Citizenship program of Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) have been exploring exactly how decentralization affects women's access to services, resources, a