Richard Anker, Senior Research Fellow, Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, formerly with the International Labour Organization and Martha Anker, Independent Researcher, formerly of the World Health Organization and the School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, US

• Contents: 1. Introduction 2. Overview of the Anker Living Wage Methodology PART I COST OF A BASIC BUT DECENT LIFE FOR WORKER AND FAMILY 3. Model Diet for a Living Wage 4. Local Food Prices 5. Local Housing Standard for a Living Wage 6 Local Cost of Decent Housing for a Living Wage 7. Non-Food and Non-Housing Costs 8. Post Checks of Non-food Non-housing Costs: Introduction 9. Health Care Cost Rapid Assessment Post Check 10. Education Cost Rapid Assessment Post Check 11. Provision for Unexpected Events and Sustainability 12. Family Size for a Living Wage PART II ESTIMATING A LIVING WAGE 13. Number of Workers per Family 14. Take Home Pay Required and Taking Statutory Deductions into Account PART III PREVAILING WAGES AND GAPS TO A LIVING WAGE 15. Measuring Prevailing Wages to Compare to a Living Wage 16. In Kind Benefits as Partial Payment of a Living Wage 17. Living Wage in Context: Wage Ladder and Wage Trends PART IV: TYPICAL LIVING WAGE REPORT AND UPDATING A LIVING WAGE ESTIMATE 18. Suggested Outline of a Living Wage Report 19. Summary Tables to Include in a Living Wage Report 20. Updating a Living Wage Estimate References Index

‘The manual could serve as the basis for an applied masters course in Development Economics. It belongs on the shelf of every development practitioner, where it would sit confidently alongside classics like Gittinger’s (1982) Economic Analysis of Agricultural Projects.’