This book takes a new approach on understanding causes of extreme poverty and promising actions to address it. Its focus is on marginality being a root cause of poverty and deprivation. Marginality is the position of people on the edge, preventing their access to resources, freedom of choices, and the development of capabilities. The book is research based with original empirical analyses at local, national, and local scales; book contributors are leaders in their fields and have backgrounds in different disciplines. An important message of the book is that economic and ecological approaches and institutional innovations need to be integrated to overcome marginality. The book will be a valuable source for development scholars and students, actors that design public policies, and for social innovators in the private sector and non-governmental organizations.

Joachim von Braun is an economist, with a Doctoral degree in agricultural economics from University of Göttingen, Germany. He joined ZEF as Professor and Director of the Department for Economic and Technological Change in December 2009. He was also Director at ZEF during its foundation phase 1997-2002. Before returning to ZEF, von Braun was Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) based in Washington, DC, U.S.A. 2002 to 2009. von Braun also has been Professor for Food Economics and Policy at Kiel University, Germany. His research addresses international development economics topics, incl. markets and trade; poverty; health and nutrition; science and technology.

1 MarginalityAn Overview and Implications for Policy.- Part 1 Concepts and Theory.- 2 MarginalityA Framework for Analyzing Causal Complexities of Poverty.- 3 Exclusion and Initiatives to Include: Revisiting Basic Economics to Guide Development Practice.- 4 Marginality from a Socio-ecological Perspective.- Part 2 Dimensions and Prevalence of Marginality.- 5 Mapping Marginality Hotspots.- 6 The Poorest: Who and Where They Are.- 7 Targeting the Poorest and Most Vulnerable: Examples from Bangladesh.- 8 Correlates of Extreme Poverty in Rural Ethiopia.- 9 Examining the Circle of Attachment, Trauma, Shame, and Marginalization: the Unheard Voices of Young Kutchi Girls.- Part 3 Environmental Drivers of Marginality.- 10 Poverty, Agriculture and the Environment: the Case of Sub-Saharan Africa.- 11 The Marginal Poor and their Dependence on Ecosystem Services: Evidence from South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.- 12 Land Degradation, Poverty, and Marginality.- Part 4     Experiencing Marginalityin Africa and Asia.- 13 Tackling Social Exclusion and Marginality for Poverty Reduction: Indian Experiences.- 14 Consumption Behavior of the Poorest and Policy Implications in Indonesia.- 15 Addressing Extreme Poverty and Marginality: Experiences in Rural China.- 16 Experiences in Targeting the Poorest: a Case Study from Bangladesh.- 17 Rural Poverty and Marginalization in Ethiopia: a Review of Development Interventions.- Part 5 Responses to Marginality at Different Levels: State, Business, and Community.- 18 Macro, Fiscal, and Decentralization Options to Address Marginality and Reach the Extremely Poor.- 19 Social Protection, Marginality, and Extreme Poverty: Just Give Money to the Poor.- 20 Innovative Business Approaches for the Reduction of Extreme Poverty and Marginality.- 21 Business Initiatives that Overcome Rural Poverty and Marginality Through Creating Shared Value.- 22 The Marginalized and Poorest in Different Communities and Settings of Ethiopia.