The purpose of this paper is to introduce the SL concept and approach to poverty reduction. It was commissioned by Sida to facilitate a discussion of the applicability of the approach within Swedish development co-operation. The paper begins by outlining some of the conceptual issues of the SL concept, followed by a summary of how the concept has been put to practical use by some leading international development agencies. The final section is a critical discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the SL approach which
identifies some major issues for further discussion within Sida.