Report – Poverty, policies and perceptions in Tanzania

The principal objective of development cooperation as practised by the Netherlands is the reduction of poverty. The degree to which development activities contribute towards that objective is the most difficult question that can be raised in evaluations of the ways in which development policy is implemented, and forms the focal point of the present research. The approach chosen is the way in which the people perceive their own poverty situation (for which the activities are intended), as well as long-term social and economic trends. These are then confronted with the manner in which development funds are employed. The evaluation is oriented towards two districts of Tanzania – Mbulu and Songea – where the Netherlands has made long-term financial contributions to District Rural Development Programmes.