Books published by Practical Action Publishing

Smart Risks focuses on questions, such as 'who is a smart risk?' and 'what is your role in smart risks?' It includes case studies, personal stories of lessons learned over time, provocative insights on power and privilege, and practical frameworks for choosing, investing in, and measuring the impact of grassroots organizations and movements.

Bringing together findings from a variety of settings, this book calls for the recognition of children as holders of rights and agents in their own development. It points to the experience of children living in poverty and draws attention to their many roles: as learners, as migrants, users of financial services and entrants to the world of work.

The Barefoot Guide 2 is a practical resource for leaders, facilitators and practitioners involved in social change who want to improve and enrich their learning processes. But this is not just another book on organisational learning and social change.

Islamic Microfinance critically examines the performance of fifteen institutions and demonstrate how Islamic methods can efficiently satisfy the needs of some types of client but not all. It asks which types of products are affordable and beneficial, for which purposes and for whom.

Managing Humanitarian Innovation presents a new approach to transform the way humanitarian logistics are conducted. Innovation in logistics includes disrupting and improving supply chains through the use of technology and engaging people to manage this approach. The book discusses what innovation is, and strategies for supporting it.

This book is unique in that it focuses on extreme poverty. It brings together contributions from both academics and policy makers to address fundamental questions such as what difference does it make if we talk of extreme poverty as opposed to other more moderate forms of poverty?

This book discusses the role of urban information systems, public private and community partnerships and co-operation between governmental, NGOs and CBOs, and a concern for participation and self-organization of stakeholders in the urban development process and attention for emerging institutional forms for urban governance in developing countries.

This book discusses the role of urban information systems, public private and community partnerships and co-operation between governmental, NGOs and CBOs, and a concern for participation and self-organization of stakeholders in the urban development process and attention for emerging institutional forms for urban governance in developing countries.

Putting Knowledge to Work unveils the role that knowledge plays in NGOs work in international cooperation for development, unpacking tensions and challenges faced by small- and medium-sized development NGOs in particular; analysing cases in which organizations have devised inspiring solutions to improve their own performance.

Stepping Stones with Children (available in Swahili) covers a wide range of topics with a gendered and child-rights focused framework and is essential reading for social workers, community workers, health workers and NGO staff working on programmes with people affected by HIV; also researchers and academics teaching and advising in this field.

Managing Humanitarian Relief is aimed at the relief worker who in the midst of these complex situations is putting together a programme of action to help people in extreme crisis. It provides humanitarian relief managers with a single comprehensive reference for many of the management issues they are likely to encounter in the field.

Well-designed microfinance can help poor people improve their lives but generally such programmes do not reach the poorest. As a result, NGOs and donors have started to mount programmes explicitly targeting the extreme poor, the poorest and the ultra-poor. This book examines such initiatives and identifies 'what works for the poorest' in Africa.