5. Department of Public Works and Povery Reduction Public works have been widely used in fighting poverty throughout Asia, Africa and Latin America. The rationale underlying public works programmes is that government capital spending can be used to improve the productivity and earning power of poor people and their assets, for example, by providing access roads to markets or irrigation for agriculture. Such projects form part of the strategies of poverty reduction that attempt to alleviate high and persistent levels of unemployment and lack of infrastructure, particularly in deprived rural communities. They are based on the idea that labour is the most abundant asset of poor people; therefore, if the demand for their labour is increased, then it follows that their incomes will increase when working in projects, and this will also increase their ability to generate more income. Labour-intensive public works programmes have been shown in particular to improve rural women's access to income (Badsha, 2001:3).
