In the introductory chapter, Birgitta Sevefjord and Berit Olsson, Sida, discuss various experiences in trying to implement gender policies in development and research cooperation. Dr. Naila Kabeer, from the Institute of Development Studies in Sussex, United Kingdom, leads the way towards setting critical, analytical standards as she discusses how prescribed processes of empowerment may violate the essence of the concept. Dr. Kabeer reviews and evaluates various measures of women's empowerment, the values they embody and the appropriateness of these values in capturing the idea of empowerment. Furthermore, she discusses methodological implications from the analysis.