The IMF and World Bank require that each low-income country government prepare a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) - a three-year “national development strategy” - in order to qualify for external financing and debt relief. Governments often solicit input to the PRSP from a broad range of groups. The IMF and the World Bank as well as donor governments have a significant role in PRSP preparation. Many citizens’ groups want to influence the content of their country’s PRSP in order to empower poor and marginalized groups to meet their needs and attain their rights in the development process. After all, the PRSP was unveiled as a pioneering approach to empowering the poor, reducing poverty, and achieving country-wide ownership over the development process. Unfortunately, there is significant evidence that the PRSP process is primarily driven by the requirements of donors and creditors. This briefing paper from the Citizens' Network On Essential Services (CNES) contrasts the hope and vision for the PRSP process with the reality.