The study of global poverty—its causes, persistence, and evidence-based solutions. Understanding why people are poor and what interventions actually improve lives.
Core Questions
- Why do some countries stay poor while others develop?
- What are the root causes of poverty: geography, institutions, culture, or something else?
- Which interventions actually work to reduce poverty?
- How do we measure progress against poverty?
- What role do microfinance, education, health, and governance play?
Key Areas
- Extreme Poverty — living on less than $1.90/day
- Development Economics — growth and prosperity in poor countries
- Microfinance — financial services for the poor
- Global Health — disease burden and healthcare access
- Education — schooling, literacy, skills development
- Institutional Economics — governance, corruption, property rights
- Impact Evaluation — randomized controlled trials in development
Thinkers & Researchers
- Esther Duflo — development economist, Nobel laureate; see also Poor Economics, [Good Economics for Hard Times](/goodeconomicsforhard times)
Resources
- MIT OpenCourseWare: World Poverty — Comprehensive course on poverty, development economics, and evidence-based policy interventions
Related Concepts
- Global inequality and the wealth gap
- Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Economic development and growth
- Social protection and safety nets