Poverty and place in North America / Rene Zenteno and Mary Jo Bane -- Labor productivity: the link between economic growth and poverty in Mexico / Gonzalo Hernandez and Miguel Szekely -- Macroeconomic policy, markets, and poverty reduction / Michael Walton -- Social isolation: economic constraints versus strategic choices in Mexico / Mercedes Gonzalez de la Rocha -- Interpreting the educational effects of compensatory programs in Mexico / Carlos Munoz-Izquierdo and Guadelupe Villarreal-Guevara -- School improvement and the reduction of poverty / Richard F. Elmore -- Mexico's Progresa-oportunidades programs: where do we go from here? / Agustin Escobar Latapi -- The U.S. social safety net and poverty / Sheldon Danziger and Sandra K. Danziger.