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One way of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is to improve the delivery of basic social services, specifically to the poor. This issue of the Development èßäAV News looks into how MDG-related social services such as education, health, and water are delivered in the context of decentralization. Discussing the èßäAV of a joint study by the èßäAV and the United Nations Children`s Fund, the lead feature presents a useful way of understanding the country`s level of achievement of the MDG targets. In particular, the joint study argues that improving local service delivery (LSD) is about improving people`s lives. It is premised on the idea that better provision of public goods and services is a prerequisite to realizing human capabilities, thus expanding human freedoms and enhancing human lives for a better society.