This paper explores a menu of policy recommendations that developing country governments can use to think through their policy-making decisions and ensure the poorest people participate in economic growth on good terms, such that they can sustainably escape poverty.

Key messages

• Pro-poorest growth requires additional policy priorities to those advanced by inclusive growth or shared prosperity agendas.
• State support for smallholder agriculture is vital but not the whole story: to achieve pro-poorest outcomes, it needs to be complemented by balanced rural development characterised by strong policy concerns for the non-farm rural economy, and for rural (including agricultural) wage labour.
• The poorest can benefit most from increased wage employment opportunities, which can be achieved by small and medium enterprise development. They can also benefit from self-employment, but this is developmentally more difficult and requires a strong combination of asset and cash transfers, financial inclusion and access to business development services.
• Creating more jobs is vital, but for the poorest so is raising minimum casual wage levels to match increasing living costs and improving working conditions.
• In low-income countries, social protection can be the major way to support wage levels and tackle the poverty gap.