Synopsis There are complex linkages between human resources development and gender issues, on the one hand, and the problem of poverty eradication, on the other. This volume contains 17 chapters, which aim at disentangling these complex issues of development. A main theme underlying the volume is that economic growth in itself is not to be confused with the broader question of economic development that should lead to improvement in the standard of living simultaneously with empowerment of women, intergenerational and inter-class equity and efficient management of the environment. Many of the papers in the volume are focused on the countries of the Indian Ocean region.