Pro-Poor Growth and Governance in South Asia: Decentralization and Participatory Development, Edited by Poona Wignaraja and Susil Sirivardana, Published by SAGE Publications, New Delhi/ Thousand Oaks/ London, 2004; ISBN: 81-7829-257-0 (India – Hb) pps 459. In the Forward of this book, Gowher Rizvi states that the present volume makes its particular contribution in recognising that the governance agenda, with an emphasis on participatory development, can be combined with systematic decentralisation of power and resources to the grassroots in order to lay the basis for sustained poverty reduction. The key to this process is community mobilisation through social movements and nongovernmental development organisations that can catalyse changes in the conditions of the poor. He goes on to say, "Decentralization without social mobilization creates scope for vested local interests to monopolize power and resources to their advantage". Also, Rizvi underlines the fact that social movements and organisations representing the poor can challenge the monopolisation of power and resources by officials and politically dominant groups and affect lasting social change and devolution of resources in a manner that is both democratic and reduces poverty.