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targeted indicators endorsed by national stakeholders;• Stakeholder monitoring to identify the responsesof those that benefited or those that lost fromthe policy reform measures;• Problem-solving studies to devise tailored andpractical solutions to implementation issues;• Process and impact evaluations to support learningover time.The design of each component should respectsome important principles: adaptation to userneeds and availability of resources; user participation;parsimony (the least amount of informationand cost required to accomplish the task), andsimplicity. Monitoring of the implementation policyreform process will loom large over time, and anumber of practical suggestions that have beengleaned from lessons learned from country experiencesare offered here:• Define a list of steps, processes, targets andmilestone events in the reform process. This willenable the breakdown of the policy processesinto a series of components to enable an easiergrasp of what needs to be monitored.• Make use of qualitative rather than quantitativeapproaches in monitoring the system, as theyoffer a more complete and nuanced set of datathat are numeric and narrative.• Engage implementing parties and beneficiariesin drawing up the monitoring systems and methodologiesand acquire feedback. This will simplifythe process of tracking previously identifiedindicators. Focus group discussions, workshopsand other similar methods can be used to ensureparticipation.• Customise the choice of monitoring methods tothe needs and constraints of the implementingagencies.• Delegate the monitoring process to an externalbody, such as civil society organisations, thinktanks and advocacy groups, to ensure greaterindependence, transparency and accountability.Strategy and TacticsChange agents must put aside preconceived oruniform approaches to empowering the poor andthink creatively about how to make policies available,affordable and acceptable. The following corevalues belong front and centre:• Poverty reduction is the ultimate objective, soevery reform must be judged by the extent towhich it imparts the freedom that allows poorpeople to gain more control over their futuresand to improve their well-being.• The peaceful struggle against impoverishmentmust be participatory and based on respect forhuman rights, with the poor playing active rolesalong the way.• Gains of legal empowerment should be broadbasedand take into account the diversity ofdisadvantaged groups, especially indigenouspeople who are often inadvertently overlooked bypolicymakers.• Gains also must include women, hence anotherstandard against which to measure Legal Empowermentof the Poor policy is whether it takesfull account of gender-specific effects.• Empowerment of the poor in the end meanssocial transformation — not only a more justdistribution of wealth and income, but a moreexpansive sharing of power that enables disadvantagedpeople to begin bringing about significantchange through their own actions.Anumber of strategic options and considerationsstand out. Although they are rich withparadox, it will be up to government officials, civilsocietymembers, and development practitioners to281