"Decentralization as a Means of Satisfying Basic Needs: An Economic Guide for Policymakers" by J. Michael McGuire The challengeaddressed in this book is designing the degree of decentralization that is most effective in satisfying the basic needs of the poor. Case studiesof decentralization at work in the real world are presented and analyzed. The aim of this book is to help the reader who wishes to use decentralizationto help implement a basic needs approach to development. The aim of this book is to help readers use the decentralization of governmentfunctions to implement a basic needs approach to development. The aim is not to "give the answer," but rather to provide insightinto decentralization as a process and to help practitioners develop skills in designing their own decentralization programs.