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of touch with the desires of the poor to get thestate to provide services and benefits throughrecourse to client connections if necessary. Atthe same time, external change agents cannotignore the preconceptions and policy positions ofthe international agencies that are funding theirwork with Legal Empowerment of the Poor. Theyneed to think about how to balance these twoperspectives.8.Decentralise…except when it is better to centralise.A common theme in several WorkingGroup reports is the need to decentralise responsibility,resources and accountability for legalservice delivery to the lowest level at which theycan be effectively managed. But decentralisationalso gives power to local elites opposed to theLegal Empowerment of the Poor agenda, so thisoption bears watching.9.Balance demand for change with the capacity toaccommodate change. The energy of the poor topinpoint solutions to their problems, to organise,and to engage in advocacy must be met withan equally receptive state. It is important togive attention to official capacity to respond tothe thrust for change coming upwards from thegrassroots.10. Put together informal and formal institutions.Informal institutions and authority can be ofgreat utility in pursuing Legal Empowerment ofthe Poor, but so can official institutions. Policymakersneed to combine the best features ofboth to facilitate implementation.11. Look for cooperation, but anticipate confrontation.There are Legal Empowerment of thePoor policies where all sides can benefit, forinstance land readjustment which takes irregularlysub-divided land and reallocates itfor public and private use according to planningrequirements. However, practitioners alsoneed to face up to the fact that compromiseand mutual adjustment are not always going tohappen with Legal Empowerment of the Poor.The narrow technical and legal aspects may bethe least controversial, but even those ultimatelyaffect the distribution of power withinsociety. Governments trying to implement anempowerment agenda have to figure out wayseither to reimburse or to defuse those possiblydisadvantaged by the reforms. Managingpolitical risk throughout the implementationprocess, therefore, is critical.Tactical IdeasWhile walking the tightrope of these strategicissues, change agents will also need to considerimplementation tactics. A list of common modesof action is presented below. These actions havebeen selected from materials put forward by all theworking groups involved in the preparation of thisvolume, and are presented in no particular order.1.Be opportunistic. Take tactical advantageof opportunities as they arise and do not beconstrained by a programmemed calendar ofdeliverables.2.Use plain and local language. One of the keyelements for national ownership is language:dialogue, debate and information sharing mustbe conducted in local languages; legal documentsshould be demystified by rendering themin layperson’s terms.3.Work with para-professionals. A proposal raisedin several working group reports is to create anew generation of para-professionals, who aretrained and possibly certified to respond to theday-to-day service requirements of the poor, butwho do not require the advanced studies of currentprofessionals, which are often inappropriatelyscheduled, expensive and include subjects oflimited relevance for the prospective client base.334