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Jan 31, 2012

Ronald rated it:

Poor Economics doesn't simply offer a unilateral view of how to fight global poverty; rather, this book offers views from both sides of the foreign aid debate (e.g. Sachs v. Easterly) and provides examples of different organizations that have dealt with attacking poverty on both small and large scales.

There are five key takeaways from Poor Economics, with regard to any localized campaigns attempting to improve the lives of the poor:

1) Individuals/communities inherently b More...

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Feb 17, 2012

Converse rated it:

I listened to the audio version of this book, downloaded from audible.com.

The authors basic question is whether or not there is a "poverty trap" and their basic means of exploring this question are randomized experiments in which people are randomly assigned to get misquito nets, or food subsidies, or microcredit, or have savings accounts established for them, etc. The authors are quite proud of this methodological advance; I am appalled that techniques known to statisticia More...

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Jan 12, 2012

Heather rated it:

I mentioned this book on my blog here, http://livingeden.blogspot.com/2011/11/c... and now I finally read it!

I'll admit I was a little disappointed that the book wasn't as detailed as her lecture on the actual experiments the Poverty Action Lab has been involved in. There was much more on larger picture topics and brief summaries of experiments and how they contributed to the dialogue on how to address that particular topic within development circles.

That said, it was st More...

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May 21, 2011

Ifedayo rated it:

I really liked this book. Essentially the authors provide a literature review on previous studies that have been done in economic development. The emphasis is on random controlled trials, where an intervention is introduced to one group and the effects are compared to a control group. I definitely feel like there's a dearth of studies in the field of development, and at its core the book is an appeal for more rigorous studies in the field of development. It was interesting to read some of t More...

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Jul 31, 2011

Greg rated it:

Poor Economics is about the world's poor (living on the equivalent of 99 cents a day, not including housing) and how best to help them. There are basically two broad schools of thought on how to help: for example, in education one group (the "supply wallahs") says we just need to get kids into schools with good teachers, and the rest will take care of itself. (i.e. ensuring the supply of education will solve the problem) The other group (the "demand wallahs") says there's no More...

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Feb 13, 2012

Sam rated it:

Hesitated between 3 and 4 star.
Not a very charismatic book, quite "wordy" and kind of gets lost in descriptions. but makes good sense.
There is no snap action or conclusions, however, a more concise way of writing could make reading easier. For someone who has time to read, it does describe the complexities, which one often overlooks ... !

Officially:

Winner of the 2011 Financial Times/Goldman Sachs Best Business Book of the Year Award

Billi More...

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Jun 28, 2011

Abby rated it:

i really really liked this book. their argument is that there's not one sweeping and universal cause for global poverty, and thus no sweeping and all-applying solution. instead, making small changes at the margin may be the best way to proceed - which is both slightly discouraging and very exciting, in that we need not wait until we figure out the "grand solution" but can start making effective inroads on the problem with what we know already. they review a number of issue areas and ta More...

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Jun 02, 2011

Ryan rated it:

a good, quick read that highlights a lot of the lessons learned from RCTs in development over just the past few years. Occasionally frustrating in its effort to still position itself in the context of the sachs/easterly debate, which isn't, to me, a useful dialectic (though admittedly one that has dominated the field for a decade). the book shines when it gets into the nitty-gritty of the work j-pal and its affiliate researchers do, and the accompanying Web site is indispensable. Banerjee and Du More...

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Jan 23, 2012

Neil rated it:

This kind of book can be annoying, as popular social science tends to fall into one of two camps. The first are those that just repeat a single idea over an over again (e.g. The Tipping Point). The second are those that simply rehash 101 textbooks, adding a few kooky examples or anecdotes (e.g. The Undercover Economist).

To some extent, this book is vulnerable to both those criticisms. The authors make a big push on the importance of empirical evidence in designing interventions – More...

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Oct 17, 2011

Troy rated it:

Poor Economics is a great, important, and easy read. It's not written with a terribly technical voice, so even readers that lack training in economics will have no problem grasping its content.

The book is essentially a compilation of anecdotal stories used as evidence for the authors' micro analyses on a macro issue: global poverty. The overall message of the book is that the traditional macro approaches to fighting poverty (Foreign Aid) are not working because there is no care taken f More...

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Jan 07, 2012

Fred rated it:

"Very similar to "More Than Good Intentions", about development economics and what works or doesn't work in fighting global poverty. Very good book, not as readable as the other book but very detailed. Very good discussion on micro-credit and micro-savings and insurance, and how these things are really used (or not used). There is no simple answer here, every case is different but overall these books are must reads. The section on social entrepreneurship was more about small busi More...

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Aug 29, 2011

Max rated it:

This was one probably one of the top 5 nonfiction books that I've read. It was well-written, enjoyable, consistently interesting. The authors look at Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) in development policy over the past decade or two, a field that they have been intimately involved in. Their findings are educational and useful. They cover several different topics, which keeps the book from getting repetitive (always a danger in policy-type books). And they are pragmatic, rather than dogma More...

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Nov 20, 2011

Marks54 rated it:

This one took a while to work through, since it is not what I am generally focused on. The topic is how economic decisions are generally made around the world by individuals who are really poor - defined as living on $.99 a day. The book reviews the current state of economic research on topics related to global poor populations. Its authors have contributed many of the key studies and are very accomplished economists.

The book is marvelously written and very accessible, although the More...

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Oct 26, 2011

Christian rated it:

As a current Peace Corps Mexico volunteer, I bought this book to give me additional perspective on my experience and maybe even insight into how I can better tackle my job. Having been in country for over a year now I was happy to see many of my observations explained in the book. There are times where the book becomes almost too academic and strays from the complexity of poverty. However, I could easily tell that the writers have spent a lot time on the ground and not just behind some desk read More...

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Jul 05, 2011

Cornelio rated it:

An insightful, fresh look into developmental economics, this book counters a lot of the reasons for entrenched poverty and our stereotypes regarding the "poor" and poor people, and also examines some of the more fashionable solutions and prevailing philosophies behind poverty analysis and solutions. A subject I am interested in but far from familiar with, this book was a good start on understanding "poor economics", and I was particularly grateful by the authors' commitment More...

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May 09, 2011

Nazri rated it:

From Banerjee & Duflo, an utterly brilliant piece of summary, commentary, and explanation about the lives of the poor folks who survive on less than 99¢ per day. This book mainly comes as a result of their economics research over the odd 10 years or so. Why the poor stay being poor? What can be done to change things? How can we actually help them? It's rather shocking, and enlightening to know the facts about so many unfortunate ones in this world. It made me think about all the petty little thi More...

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Oct 30, 2011

Joe rated it:

To use an overworn cliche, 'Poor Economics' is the 'Freakonomics' of poverty. Highly relevant read that focuses on the nuanced truth between laissez-faire and interventionist schools of poverty alleviation theory. The authors take a measured evaluation of wellfare policies, thoroughly supported by research (rather than straw models or outliers), to recommend approaches that combine science with morals. Not a simple read, but doesn't take a background in economics to understand. Very important bo More...

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Feb 16, 2012

Jop rated it:

Interesting replenishment with a very practical and scientifically based fundament, to a field that is dominated by great thinkers with strong ideologies. Banerjee and Duflo, both scientists, take all the topics and zoom into the practical situation of poor and disadvantaged people. Why does microcredit not meet the expectations? Why do people not buy healthier food when they become less poor? Why do they not save up or invest money?This book does not give solutions like most books in this genre More...

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Dec 30, 2011

Libby rated it:

This book is purely amazing - insightful and fair from beginning to end, it was very hard to figure out if the writers were expressing any opinions, or just obvious statements of fact coming from their years of experience and empirical research.

This book isn't just about Aid, but also about human nature and helped me identify when I make irrational decisions in my life. This enabled me to better understand the poor described in this book who are living on less than 99c a day.
More...

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Aug 19, 2011

Julia rated it:

I was very impressed by this book. The title of the article it grew from was "The Economic Lives of the Poor," which is a better reflection of its content. Based on data from RTCs, the authors explain the decisionmaking of the poor and their institutions, such as why most students in poor areas fail to learn basic subjects (the goals of both schools and parents is educate a small group of elites for the civil service, not provide universal education) or why banks don't offer services t More...

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Jul 21, 2011

Sean rated it:

I really need to digest this for a few more days before I write a more comprehensive review, but this is a book that really makes you think. It turns out that instead of ideology, there are some questions in economics that have a way to get at a real answer. And like everything else, the real answer is way more complicated than the sweeping generalization.

It also makes you think about your own life, and the way you impact others. It turns out that improving at the margins is not only u More...

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Jun 30, 2011

Arnav rated it:

Insightful and surprisingly engaging account of approaching world poverty problem through economics - by the researchers themselves. Although the discussion falls into the economist fallacy of assuming hyper rationality, Duflo and Banerjee offer a thoughtful analysis of many of the non-rational forces at play. Highly recommended.

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Nov 26, 2011

Carol Rich rated it:

This is essential reading for anyone who is interested in learning more about the issues involving world poverty and what does and does not work in eradicating it. I found the studies about education and health care particuarly fascinating. This book dispels many myths about poverty and provides some solutions that work.

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Dec 14, 2011

Filiproshauw marked it as to-read

Har fått denne hjem i posten, og gleder meg. Handler om nye perspektiver på fattigdomsproblematikk, og jeg ble interessert i den etter å ha lest denne artikkelen, som jeg syns var veldig spennende.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/20...

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Jun 09, 2011

Megan rated it:

A well-written piece on development, with focus on randomized control trials (read "what's trendy in economics right now") and research into the difficult-to-answer questions. I appreciate the rebuttal to the opposing Sachs and Easterly views of the world, particularly from an Indian man and French woman.

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jun 23, 2011

Pamela rated it:

This is a brilliant and fascinating summary of development economics. Wonderfully insightful examples and surprising findings. Think Freakeconomics and Nudge like approach to the Sachs/Easterly debate. What are the poverty traps and how can we circumvent them?

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Nov 16, 2011

Alan rated it:

This book is like Freakonomics applied to philanthropy. It describes lots of studies into the effectiveness of philanthropic efforts that led to surprising conclusions. It paints a practical and even-handed picture of the poor and poverty.

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May 05, 2011

Matthew rated it:

Really brilliant, though-provoking ideas about the economic problems facing the world's poorest people drawn from rigorous empirical research. The writing is clear and non-technical, if a bit stilted at times. You'll learn a lot.

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Oct 09, 2011

James rated it:

I thought I was going to love this book, but I didn't really get much out of it.

It was a summary of "some aid is good aid" which I already believe, so I guess the persuasion wasn't attractive to me. The details, though, were mostly things I'd already heard or read. I think watching Esther Duflo's TED talk might give away most of the information and excitement of this book.

If you're wondering why not everyone agrees with "The End of Poverty" then maybe th More...

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Jan 27, 2012

Jennifer rated it:

I heard the authors speak and was intrigued about the book. This book appealed to me because it doesn't attempt to reduce poverty issues to black/white, sound-byte generalizations. If the poverty solution was simple, we would have solved it by now as there are many generous-hearted folk attempting to do just that. The authors look closely at why certain programs succeed or fail, using empirical data, not pretty success stories. They don't speak condescendingly about the poor and advocate attendi More...

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