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The Economic Lives of the Poor

Chigaekwu Lekwauwa
The University of Texas at Arlington
KINE 3353
Dr. Godfred O. Boateng
February 05,2021

The Economic Lives of the Poor

“The economic lives of the poor” by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo addresses the various aspects that influence the poor’s lives and those that are extremely poor. The authors aim to understand the patterns of consumption and income generation of extremely poor persons and poor ones. The paper also describes the accessibility to markets and public infrastructure of the poor and the extremely poor. The document is structured in terms of the poor’s living arrangements, how the poor spend their money, how the poor earn their money, and the market, infrastructure, and economic environment of the poor. The article uses a survey done in 13 countries especially from the developing world to express showcase how poor people live. The authors examine the different aspects surrounding extremely poor people’s lives and fail to clarify certain elements, such as where the poor get their income.
The authors clearly outline and structure the economic lives of those that are extremely poor. The authors’ main concern is how the low live daily, such as where they get their money and how they spend it. Banerjee & Duflo (2006) state that “the article uses a survey conducted in 13 countries worldwide: Cote d’Ivoire, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, South Africa, Tanzania, and Timor”. The authors look at the way poor people spend their money. For example, through purchasing food and other consumptions, ownership of assets, and investment in education, among others. The article also addresses the poor’s market environment and how it affects their saving and life choices. For example, the lack of access to reliable savings account is a problem faced by poor people globally.
However, the article has several weaknesses regarding the complicated economic lives of extremely poor people. The authors mention televisions, radios, and bicycles as assets that poor people lack. However, in most cases, these items would seem like liability and not an investment that could help extremely poor people get money. The article also fails to mention that distribution of poverty is not only found in countries categorized as low income countries (Summer, 2012) . The article also focuses on how women earn their income through multiple activities rather than focusing on the male who should be the family’s breadwinners. For example, the authors give Guntur women instances who have numerous businesses (Banerjee & Duflo, 2006). The article also fails to explain the political and policy factors that affect the poor’s living status. The two questions that I think should be considered are 1. Should the poor be scrutinized on how their money is spent and focus more on how the government treat the poor? 2. How many years would it take for the society to start realizing that there are hard-working, intelligent women who can make as much money and live poverty as their male counterparts?
To sum it up, the article represents the economic lives of extremely poor people and the choices they must make to ensure they survive. It also contributes to public health by describing how the poor face low services from health facilities despite being in proximity. Therefore, policy makers in developing countries should revisit the services offered in public offices such as hospitals to help the extremely poor person.

Reference

Banerjee, A. V., & Duflo, E. (2006). The Economic Lives of the Poor. Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139
Summer, A. (2012). Where Do The Poor Live? World Development, 40(5), 865–877. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2011.09.007