Can the poor influence policy? Is participation effective? A World Bank report explores the impact of Participatory Poverty Assessments (PPAs) in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. World Bank poverty assessments used to rely on data from quantitative household surveys and based poverty definitions on consumption, income and health and education indicators. The poor were treated merely as objects of inquiry. PPAs now aim to give poor people a voice and some control over the research process. The challenge is for the World Bank and the rest of the development community to integrate the perspectives and values of poor people into the policy process and project formulation and implementation.