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4. Customize the choice of monitoring methods tothe needs and constraints of the implementingagencies.5. Delegate the monitoring process to an externalbody selected from civil society organisations,think tanks and advocacy groups, to ensuregreater independence, transparency and accountability.A possible framework for a demand-led assessmentof government implementation of the Legal Empowermentof the Poor recommendations is shownin Table 5.12, which is based on the framework ofthe World Resources Institute’s Access InitiativeAssessment method. Each cell of the matrix hasbeen populated with an indicator to serve as anexample. Those undertaking the assessment canrank each metric based on research guidelines anddata collected. These assessments, when repeatedover time, will show whether and how well LegalEmpowerment of the Poor recommendations arebeing implemented. 12Monitoring of reforms will involve seeking answersto critical questions. Among the questions thatmay need to be posed are the following: Are thepolicy reforms really being implemented? And if so,do they really matter? If they do make a difference,how important is it? What are the gender impacts?Taking into consideration the multiple dimensionsof policy reforms, the pace of implementation willlikely be gradual. There may not even be conspicuousimpact in the short-term. Therefore, inthe monitoring of progress, it will be important toestablish process indicators, and to pursue monitoringactivities either on a continuous or repetitivebasis. Furthermore, the entire set of measuringactivities — data collection, analysis, and interpretation— will need to be based on the country’snational priorities.6. Strategy and TacticsWe have reviewed the social, political and technicalfactors that stand in the way of poor people’slegal empowerment, and set forth broad ideasabout how to counter those forces. Change agentsmust put aside preconceived or uniform approachesto Legal Empowerment of the Poor to thinkcreatively about how to make Legal Empowermentof the Poor available, affordable and acceptablein their own specific context. They must be on thelook out for unintended consequences, perverseincentives, and hidden agendas. Their initiativesmust be informed by pilot projects that can beamended if they fail, and scaled-up and replicatedif they work.In designing empowerment policies and decidingupon how to implement them, change agents mustalways keep the following core values front andcentre:• Poverty reduction is the ultimate objective ofLegal Empowerment of the Poor, so every reformmust be judged by the extent to which it impartsfreedom and allows poor people to gain morecontrol over their futures and to improve theirwell-being.• The peaceful struggle against impoverishmentmust be participatory, based on respect for humanrights, and with poor people playing activeroles along the way.• The gains of Legal Empowerment of the Poorshould be broad-based and take into account thediversity of disadvantaged groups, in particular,the indigenous people who are often inadvertentlyoverlooked by policymakers.• The gains also must include women; therefore,another standard against which to measure LegalEmpowerment of the Poor policy is whether ittakes full account of gender-specific effects.332