Reviews
[A] fascinating and humanizing insight into the economic lives of the global poor, and a valuable resource for attempting to improve those lives. -- Ethics & International Affairs, "[A] fascinating and humanizing insight into the economic lives of the global poor, and a valuable resource for attempting to improve those lives."-- Ethics & International Affairs, A good overview of how the world's poor intersect with financial institutions at the micro level. ---Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution, "A refreshingly distinct path. Portfolios of the Poor . . . avoid[s] the big picture and zoom[s] in on the basics of daily poverty, exploring how poor families manage their money. . . . The diaries reveal a 'real, ongoing, and substantial demand' for better financial services, which poor families need to provide better health care and schooling for their children. . . . Rather than waiting for the world to debate and accept their ideas, these authors have taken them up on their own. In the war against global poverty, that feels like one small battle won." --Carlos Lozada, Washington Post, The authors ofPortfolios of the Poorfound that a 'triple whammy' characterizes the financial lives of the poor. Incomes are not only low; they are also irregular and unpredictable. . . . The authors' account suggests much that can be done to ease the financial conditions of poor people. -- Anirudh Krishna, Science, [T]he book is enlightening, methodologically credible and accessible; it is recommended. ---Roger MacGinty, Round Table, " Portfolios of the Poor should be read by anyone interested in microfinance, but also who interested in poverty more generally and in how the poor manage their day-to-day lives." ---Isabelle Guérin, Enterprise, Development and Microfinance, "This book is a major contribution to the understanding of the situation of the poor in developing countries and should be a 'must reading' for both academics and policymakers concerned with ways of improving developmental policies." --Werner Baer, Enterprise and Society, "The authors of Portfolios of the Poor found that a 'triple whammy' characterizes the financial lives of the poor. Incomes are not only low; they are also irregular and unpredictable. . . . The authors' account suggests much that can be done to ease the financial conditions of poor people." ---Anirudh Krishna, Science, "This book is a major contribution to the understanding of the situation of the poor in developing countries and should be a 'must reading' for both academics and policymakers concerned with ways of improving developmental policies." ---Werner Baer, Enterprise and Society, The research provides evidence of the sophistication with which poor people think about their finances., A good overview of how the world's poor intersect with financial institutions at the micro level. -- Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution, "The research provides evidence of the sophistication with which poor people think about their finances." -- The Economist, A Fascinating New Book. . . ., "The book is written in a non-technical style accessible to the lay reader. . . . [I]t makes a compelling case about the desperation of poverty, as well as the ingenuity of the people who live under conditions of poverty." ---Sajeda Amin, Population and Development Review, A masterly assessment of the financial needs of people on very low incomes . . . stuffed full of interesting and surprising insights, and should be read by anyone concerned with economic development and poverty reduction. I can't praise it highly enough. This is a model of the careful collection of evidence with important practical consequences. ---Diane Coyle, The Enlightened Economist, "[T]he book is enlightening, methodologically credible and accessible; it is recommended." --Roger MacGinty, Round Table, A refreshingly distinct path. Portfolios of the Poor . . . avoid[s] the big picture and zoom[s] in on the basics of daily poverty, exploring how poor families manage their money. . . . The diaries reveal a 'real, ongoing, and substantial demand' for better financial services, which poor families need to provide better health care and schooling for their children. . . . Rather than waiting for the world to debate and accept their ideas, these authors have taken them up on their own. In the war against global poverty, that feels like one small battle won. ---Carlos Lozada, Washington Post, This book is a major contribution to the understanding of the situation of the poor in developing countries and should be a 'must reading' for both academics and policymakers concerned with ways of improving developmental policies. ---Werner Baer, Enterprise and Society, "I recommend this book to anyone who has interest in improving the lives of the poor." ---Melinda Gates, Co-chair, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Huffington Post, Portfolios of the Poor should be read by anyone interested in microfinance, but also who interested in poverty more generally and in how the poor manage their day-to-day lives. ---Isabelle Guérin, Enterprise, Development and Microfinance, [T]his is a great book. It remains an excellent survey of the poors' realities, certainly a 'must-have' for all researchers interested in the financial practices of the poor and microfinance. -- Marek Hudon, Development and Change, A refreshingly distinct path.Portfolios of the Poor. . . avoid[s] the big picture and zoom[s] in on the basics of daily poverty, exploring how poor families manage their money. . . . The diaries reveal a 'real, ongoing, and substantial demand' for better financial services, which poor families need to provide better health care and schooling for their children. . . . Rather than waiting for the world to debate and accept their ideas, these authors have taken them up on their own. In the war against global poverty, that feels like one small battle won., "[W]e learn much about how the poor manage whatever little money they have. On that ground alone I highly recommend the book." --Rolf A.E. Muller, Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture, "[T]he book is enlightening, methodologically credible and accessible; it is recommended."-- Roger MacGinty, Round Table, A refreshingly distinct path. Portfolios of the Poor . . . avoid[s] the big picture and zoom[s] in on the basics of daily poverty, exploring how poor families manage their money. . . . The diaries reveal a 'real, ongoing, and substantial demand' for better financial services, which poor families need to provide better health care and schooling for their children. . . . Rather than waiting for the world to debate and accept their ideas, these authors have taken them up on their own. In the war against global poverty, that feels like one small battle won., A masterly assessment of the financial needs of people on very low incomes . . . stuffed full of interesting and surprising insights, and should be read by anyone concerned with economic development and poverty reduction. I can't praise it highly enough. This is a model of the careful collection of evidence with important practical consequences. -- Diane Coyle, The Enlightened Economist, "As Collins, Morduch, Rutherford, and Ruthven summarize their argument, 'Not having enough money is bad enough. Not being able to manage whatever money you have is worse.' Their book is a detailed effort to understand how poor people manage--and, frequently, mismanage--the meager resources at their disposal. They draw on more than 250 financial diaries collected in Bangladesh, India, and South Africa that tracked how money was earned and spent, along with interviews with the diarists. The result is a unique window onto what poverty means for these households." ---Timothy Besley, Foreign Affairs, "Ten years ago, the authors of this unusual study began collecting detailed yearlong 'financial diaries' from households in Bangladesh, India, and South Africa. . . . The diarists did things that might seem irrational--borrowing in order to save; paying interest on savings--but that made sense given their unpredictable incomes and limited options. 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." -- New Yorker, [A] fascinating and humanizing insight into the economic lives of the global poor, and a valuable resource for attempting to improve those lives., The authors of Portfolios of the Poor . . . make a convincing case both for the importance of finance in the lives of the extremely poor and for there being room to improve the provision of financial services to them. -- "Danny Reviews, "[W]e learn much about how the poor manage whatever little money they have. On that ground alone I highly recommend the book."-- Rolf A.E. Muller, Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture, "As Collins, Morduch, Rutherford, and Ruthven summarize their argument, 'Not having enough money is bad enough. Not being able to manage whatever money you have is worse.' Their book is a detailed effort to understand how poor people manage--and, frequently, mismanage--the meager resources at their disposal. They draw on more than 250 financial diaries collected in Bangladesh, India, and South Africa that tracked how money was earned and spent, along with interviews with the diarists. The result is a unique window onto what poverty means for these households."-- Timothy Besley, Foreign Affairs, The book is written in a non-technical style accessible to the lay reader. . . . [I]t makes a compelling case about the desperation of poverty, as well as the ingenuity of the people who live under conditions of poverty. -- Sajeda Amin, Population and Development Review, This book is a major contribution to the understanding of the situation of the poor in developing countries and should be a 'must reading' for both academics and policymakers concerned with ways of improving developmental policies., "I recommend this book to anyone who has interest in improving the lives of the poor."-- Melinda Gates, Co-chair, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Huffington Post, "A masterly assessment of the financial needs of people on very low incomes . . . stuffed full of interesting and surprising insights, and should be read by anyone concerned with economic development and poverty reduction. I can't praise it highly enough. This is a model of the careful collection of evidence with important practical consequences." ---Diane Coyle, The Enlightened Economist, "A masterly assessment of the financial needs of people on very low incomes . . . stuffed full of interesting and surprising insights, and should be read by anyone concerned with economic development and poverty reduction. I can't praise it highly enough. This is a model of the careful collection of evidence with important practical consequences."-- Diane Coyle, The Enlightened Economist, "One of my favourite books. It gathers new evidence about the financial services people on very low incomes need--and the answers are sometimes surprising. Should be read by anyone with views on microcredit and/or payday loans."-- Enlightened Economist, As Collins, Morduch, Rutherford, and Ruthven summarize their argument, 'Not having enough money is bad enough. Not being able to manage whatever money you have is worse.' Their book is a detailed effort to understand how poor people manage--and, frequently, mismanage--the meager resources at their disposal. They draw on more than 250 financial diaries collected in Bangladesh, India, and South Africa that tracked how money was earned and spent, along with interviews with the diarists. The result is a unique window onto what poverty means for these households. ---Timothy Besley, Foreign Affairs, "[W]e learn much about how the poor manage whatever little money they have. On that ground alone I highly recommend the book." ---Rolf A.E. Muller, Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture, A Fascinating Discussion of the Finances of the World's Poor., "[T]he book is enlightening, methodologically credible and accessible; it is recommended." ---Roger MacGinty, Round Table, "[T]his is a great book. It remains an excellent survey of the poors' realities, certainly a 'must-have' for all researchers interested in the financial practices of the poor and microfinance."-- Marek Hudon, Development and Change, "A Fascinating Discussion of the Finances of the World's Poor."-- Nicholas Kristof, Nytimes.Com, "A refreshingly distinct path. Portfolios of the Poor . . . avoid[s] the big picture and zoom[s] in on the basics of daily poverty, exploring how poor families manage their money. . . . The diaries reveal a 'real, ongoing, and substantial demand' for better financial services, which poor families need to provide better health care and schooling for their children. . . . Rather than waiting for the world to debate and accept their ideas, these authors have taken them up on their own. In the war against global poverty, that feels like one small battle won." ---Carlos Lozada, Washington Post, "[T]his is a great book. It remains an excellent survey of the poors' realities, certainly a 'must-have' for all researchers interested in the financial practices of the poor and microfinance." ---Marek Hudon, Development and Change, [T]he book is enlightening, methodologically credible and accessible; it is recommended. -- Roger MacGinty, Round Table, The authors of Portfolios of the Poor . . . make a convincing case both for the importance of finance in the lives of the extremely poor and for there being room to improve the provision of financial services to them., A refreshingly distinct path. Portfolios of the Poor . . . avoid[s] the big picture and zoom[s] in on the basics of daily poverty, exploring how poor families manage their money. . . . The diaries reveal a 'real, ongoing, and substantial demand' for better financial services, which poor families need to provide better health care and schooling for their children. . . . Rather than waiting for the world to debate and accept their ideas, these authors have taken them up on their own. In the war against global poverty, that feels like one small battle won. -- Carlos Lozada, Washington Post, The authors of Portfolios of the Poor found that a 'triple whammy' characterizes the financial lives of the poor. Incomes are not only low; they are also irregular and unpredictable. . . . The authors' account suggests much that can be done to ease the financial conditions of poor people. ---Anirudh Krishna, Science, [W]e learn much about how the poor manage whatever little money they have. On that ground alone I highly recommend the book. -- Rolf A.E. Muller, Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture, "A good overview of how the world's poor intersect with financial institutions at the micro level." --Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution, "The book is written in a non-technical style accessible to the lay reader. . . . [I]t makes a compelling case about the desperation of poverty, as well as the ingenuity of the people who live under conditions of poverty."-- Sajeda Amin, Population and Development Review, As Collins, Morduch, Rutherford, and Ruthven summarize their argument, 'Not having enough money is bad enough. Not being able to manage whatever money you have is worse.' Their book is a detailed effort to understand how poor people manage--and, frequently, mismanage--the meager resources at their disposal. They draw on more than 250 financial diaries collected in Bangladesh, India, and South Africa that tracked how money was earned and spent, along with interviews with the diarists. The result is a unique window onto what poverty means for these households. -- Timothy Besley, Foreign Affairs, "[A] fascinating and humanizing insight into the economic lives of the global poor, and a valuable resource for attempting to improve those lives." -- Ethics & International Affairs, "A must-read book for social entrepreneurs combating global poverty. . . . Skip the latest road-to-riches screed about serving the bottom of the pyramid and throw out your white papers from the World Bank. . . . Portfolios of the Poor is your new bible." --Jonathan C. Lewis, I on Poverty, Portfolios of the Poor should be read by anyone interested in microfinance, but also who interested in poverty more generally and in how the poor manage their day-to-day lives., " Portfolios of the Poor should be read by anyone interested in microfinance, but also who interested in poverty more generally and in how the poor manage their day-to-day lives." --Isabelle Guérin, Enterprise, Development and Microfinance, "A masterly assessment of the financial needs of people on very low incomes . . . stuffed full of interesting and surprising insights, and should be read by anyone concerned with economic development and poverty reduction. I can't praise it highly enough. This is a model of the careful collection of evidence with important practical consequences." --Diane Coyle, The Enlightened Economist, This book is a major contribution to the understanding of the situation of the poor in developing countries and should be a 'must reading' for both academics and policymakers concerned with ways of improving developmental policies. -- Werner Baer, Enterprise and Society, I recommend this book to anyone who has interest in improving the lives of the poor. ---Melinda Gates, Co-chair, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Huffington Post, Portfolios of the Poor should be read by anyone interested in microfinance, but also who interested in poverty more generally and in how the poor manage their day-to-day lives. -- Isabelle Guérin, Enterprise, Development and Microfinance, "This is an important, boots-on-the-ground look at how microfinance functions in the developing world. The descriptions of how poor households manage their limited resources are exciting, raw, and novel, and I found myself unable to put the book down." --Edward Miguel, University of California, Berkeley and coauthor of Economic Gangsters, [T]his is a great book. It remains an excellent survey of the poors' realities, certainly a 'must-have' for all researchers interested in the financial practices of the poor and microfinance. ---Marek Hudon, Development and Change, I recommend this book to anyone who has interest in improving the lives of the poor. -- Melinda Gates, Co-chair, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Huffington Post, The book is written in a non-technical style accessible to the lay reader. . . . [I]t makes a compelling case about the desperation of poverty, as well as the ingenuity of the people who live under conditions of poverty., "As Collins, Morduch, Rutherford, and Ruthven summarize their argument, 'Not having enough money is bad enough. Not being able to manage whatever money you have is worse.' Their book is a detailed effort to understand how poor people manage--and, frequently, mismanage--the meager resources at their disposal. They draw on more than 250 financial diaries collected in Bangladesh, India, and South Africa that tracked how money was earned and spent, along with interviews with the diarists. The result is a unique window onto what poverty means for these households." --Timothy Besley, Foreign Affairs, Ten years ago, the authors of this unusual study began collecting detailed yearlong 'financial diaries' from households in Bangladesh, India, and South Africa. . . . The diarists did things that might seem irrational--borrowing in order to save; paying interest on savings--but that made sense given their unpredictable incomes and limited options. 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. -- New Yorker, "The authors of Portfolios of the Poor found that a 'triple whammy' characterizes the financial lives of the poor. Incomes are not only low; they are also irregular and unpredictable. . . . The authors' account suggests much that can be done to ease the financial conditions of poor people."-- Anirudh Krishna, Science, As Collins, Morduch, Rutherford, and Ruthven summarize their argument, 'Not having enough money is bad enough. Not being able to manage whatever money you have is worse.' Their book is a detailed effort to understand how poor people manage--and, frequently, mismanage--the meager resources at their disposal. They draw on more than 250 financial diaries collected in Bangladesh, India, and South Africa that tracked how money was earned and spent, along with interviews with the diarists. The result is a unique window onto what poverty means for these households., A masterly assessment of the financial needs of people on very low incomes . . . stuffed full of interesting and surprising insights, and should be read by anyone concerned with economic development and poverty reduction. I can't praise it highly enough. This is a model of the careful collection of evidence with important practical consequences., "A refreshingly distinct path. Portfolios of the Poor . . . avoid[s] the big picture and zoom[s] in on the basics of daily poverty, exploring how poor families manage their money. . . . The diaries reveal a 'real, ongoing, and substantial demand' for better financial services, which poor families need to provide better health care and schooling for their children. . . . Rather than waiting for the world to debate and accept their ideas, these authors have taken them up on their own. In the war against global poverty, that feels like one small battle won."-- Carlos Lozada, Washington Post, The book is written in a non-technical style accessible to the lay reader. . . . [I]t makes a compelling case about the desperation of poverty, as well as the ingenuity of the people who live under conditions of poverty. ---Sajeda Amin, Population and Development Review, "[T]his is a great book. It remains an excellent survey of the poors' realities, certainly a 'must-have' for all researchers interested in the financial practices of the poor and microfinance." --Marek Hudon, Development and Change, Portfolios of the Poorshould be read by anyone interested in microfinance, but also who interested in poverty more generally and in how the poor manage their day-to-day lives. -- Isabelle Guerin, Enterprise, Development and Microfinance, " Portfolios of the Poor should be read by anyone interested in microfinance, but also who interested in poverty more generally and in how the poor manage their day-to-day lives."-- Isabelle Guérin, Enterprise, Development and Microfinance, Ten years ago, the authors of this unusual study began collecting detailed yearlong 'financial diaries' from households in Bangladesh, India, and South Africa. . . . The diarists did things that might seem irrational--borrowing in order to save; paying interest on savings--but that made sense given their unpredictable incomes and limited options. 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., "This is a very interesting book, which examines the quite sophisticated financial system developed by poor households to adjust their spending relative to their income."-- Choice, "The authors of Portfolios of the Poor found that a 'triple whammy' characterizes the financial lives of the poor. Incomes are not only low; they are also irregular and unpredictable. . . . The authors' account suggests much that can be done to ease the financial conditions of poor people." --Anirudh Krishna, Science, [T]his is a great book. It remains an excellent survey of the poors' realities, certainly a 'must-have' for all researchers interested in the financial practices of the poor and microfinance., "The book is written in a non-technical style accessible to the lay reader. . . . [I]t makes a compelling case about the desperation of poverty, as well as the ingenuity of the people who live under conditions of poverty." --Sajeda Amin, Population and Development Review, "The authors of Portfolios of the Poor . . . make a convincing case both for the importance of finance in the lives of the extremely poor and for there being room to improve the provision of financial services to them."-- Danny Reviews, The Book's Methodology and Conclusions Are Fascinating., " Portfolios of the Poor should be read by anyone interested in microfinance, but also who interested in poverty more generally and in how the poor manage their day-to-day lives."-- Isabelle Gurin, Enterprise, Development and Microfinance, The authors ofPortfolios of the Poorfound that a 'triple whammy' characterizes the financial lives of the poor. Incomes are not only low; they are also irregular and unpredictable. . . . The authors' account suggests much that can be done to ease the financial conditions of poor people., One of my favourite books. It gathers new evidence about the financial services people on very low incomes need--and the answers are sometimes surprising. Should be read by anyone with views on microcredit and/or payday loans., "Ten years ago, the authors of this unusual study began collecting detailed yearlong 'financial diaries' from households in Bangladesh, India, and South Africa. . . . The diarists did things that might seem irrational--borrowing in order to save; paying interest on savings--but that made sense given their unpredictable incomes and limited options. 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."-- New Yorker, This is a very interesting book, which examines the quite sophisticated financial system developed by poor households to adjust their spending relative to their income., Portfolios of the Poor should be read by anyone interested in microfinance, but also who interested in poverty more generally and in how the poor manage their day-to-day lives. -- Isabelle Guerin, Enterprise, Development and Microfinance, "I recommend this book to anyone who has interest in improving the lives of the poor." --Melinda Gates, Co-chair, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Huffington Post, "This book is a major contribution to the understanding of the situation of the poor in developing countries and should be a 'must reading' for both academics and policymakers concerned with ways of improving developmental policies."-- Werner Baer, Enterprise and Society, Portfolios of the Poor should be read by anyone interested in microfinance, but also who interested in poverty more generally and in how the poor manage their day-to-day lives. -- Isabelle Gurin, Enterprise, Development and Microfinance, "A good overview of how the world's poor intersect with financial institutions at the micro level."-- Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution, "One of my favourite books. It gathers new evidence about the financial services people on very low incomes need--and the answers are sometimes surprising. Should be read by anyone with views on microcredit and/or payday loans." -- Enlightened Economist, [W]e learn much about how the poor manage whatever little money they have. On that ground alone I highly recommend the book. ---Rolf A.E. Muller, Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture, "This is a very interesting book, which examines the quite sophisticated financial system developed by poor households to adjust their spending relative to their income." -- Choice, [W]e learn much about how the poor manage whatever little money they have. On that ground alone I highly recommend the book., "Too often, conversations about the needs of the world's poor are based on assumptions and clichés. This important, carefully researched, and compelling book presents the facts about the poor and their relationship to finance." --Tim Harford, author of The Undercover Economist and The Logic of Life, The research provides evidence of the sophistication with which poor people think about their finances. -- The Economist, "The Book's Methodology and Conclusions Are Fascinating."-- Publishers Weekly, The authors of Portfolios of the Poor found that a 'triple whammy' characterizes the financial lives of the poor. Incomes are not only low; they are also irregular and unpredictable. . . . The authors' account suggests much that can be done to ease the financial conditions of poor people., "The authors of Portfolios of the Poor . . . make a convincing case both for the importance of finance in the lives of the extremely poor and for there being room to improve the provision of financial services to them." -- Danny Reviews, The authors of Portfolios of the Poor found that a 'triple whammy' characterizes the financial lives of the poor. Incomes are not only low; they are also irregular and unpredictable. . . . The authors' account suggests much that can be done to ease the financial conditions of poor people. -- Anirudh Krishna, Science, "A good overview of how the world's poor intersect with financial institutions at the micro level." ---Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution, "The research provides evidence of the sophistication with which poor people think about their finances."-- The Economist
