With quantitative and policy analyses, this record examines the organizations benefiting the poorer classes in Andhra Pradesh, an Indian state that has been at the forefront in the effort to empower poor women. Arguing that without power the poor, and poor women in particular, will not be able to force the introduction of policies and interventions to improve their well-being, this volume reflects on the working and functioning of membership based organizations of the poor. Policymakers, economists, social activists, and journalists alike will profit from this book.