Portfolios of the Poor

Portfolios of the Poor: How the World's Poor Live on $2 a Day
First edition
AuthorsStuart Rutherford, Jonathan Morduch, Daryl Collins, Orlanda Ruthven
LanguageEnglish
GenreBusiness, economics
PublisherPrinceton University Press
Publication date
January 9, 2009 (2009-01-09)
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint
Pages296 pp.
ISBN978-1400829965
OCLC940547709

Portfolios of the Poor: How the World's Poor Live on $2 a Day is a book that aims to systematically explain how the poor find solutions to their everyday financial problems.[1] It is written by Stuart Rutherford, Jonathan Morduch, Orlanda Ruthven, and Daryl Collins.[2]

Background

The book is the culmination of 10 years of research into the financial lives of the lowest classes of Bangladesh, India, and South Africa—with a focus on those living on less than two dollars a day per person.[3]

Reception

In 2015 Mark Zuckerberg announced that he highly recommended everyone read Portfolios of the Poor. He wrote: "It's mind-blowing that almost half the world—almost 3 billion people—live on $2.50 a day or less. More than one billion people live on $1 a day or less. This book explains how these families invest their money to best support themselves. I hope reading this provides some insight into ways we can all work to support them better as well."[4]

The New Yorker reported "while the authors do offer prescriptions for how to expand those options, it’s their scrupulous attention to actual behavior that makes this book invaluable."[5] Reuters wrote "Portfolios of the Poor includes concrete ideas for moving forward. Getting there, though, requires us to first step back and listen."[6]

"The book's methodology and conclusions are fascinating," Publishers Weekly concluded.[7]

References

  1. ^ Baer, Werner (2010). "Portfolios of the Poor: How the World's Poor Live on $2 a Day (review)". Enterprise & Society. 11 (1): 182–185. doi:10.1093/es/khp083. ISSN 1467-2235.
  2. ^ "Portfolios of the Poor: How the World's Poor Live on $2 a Day | NYU Wagner". wagner.nyu.edu. Retrieved 2016-07-05.
  3. ^ "Review of Portfolios of the Poor: How the World's Poor Live on $2 a Day". Retrieved 2016-07-05.
  4. ^ "Why Mark Zuckerberg wants everyone to read about how the poor spend their money". Business Insider. Retrieved 2016-07-05.
  5. ^ "Portfolios of the Poor". The New Yorker. 22 June 2009. Retrieved 2016-07-05.
  6. ^ Morduch, Jonathan. "How the world's poor live on $2 a day". Reuters Blogs. Archived from the original on 2009-06-06. Retrieved 2016-07-05.
  7. ^ "Nonfiction Book Review: Portfolios of the Poor: How the World's Poor Live on $2 a Day by Daryl Collins". Retrieved 2016-07-05.