This paper assesses the potential of mark-recapture methods as a relatively powerful innovative research method for estimating the prevalence of "hard-to-reach '' human populations in the social weEfarejeld. We outline the development of mark-recapture methods, illustrating some recent applications. The body of the paper reviews the main methodological and practical questions raised b y the method. We suggest, ! y way of illustration, how it might be applied to estimating the prevalence of rough sleepers in a given geographical region.
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