Dear Professor Basu,

I apologise for taking your time with what may seem a small matter, but may I ask what your policy will be for comments on the blog?

I left a comment a few weeks ago - a question for Dr Ravallion on the adequacy of data for discussions of inequality and poverty. This does not seem to me a small matter, since research results are used to inform policy.

Neither it nor my follow-up query resulted in the comment being published.

The comment was to:
http://blogs.worldbank.org/developmenttalk/node/782 .

This could raise a question how far the World Bank is open to dissenting views, so it might be useful to both readers and those affected by policies if you could clarify the situation.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

Matt Berkley

Utrecht, Netherlands.