It is not easy to escape from poverty, but a sense of possibility and a little bit of well-targeted help (a piece of information, a little nudge) can sometimes have surprisingly large effects. On the other hand, misplaced expectations, the lack of faith where it is needed, and seemingly minor hurdles can be devastating.

Banerjee, Abhijit V.; Duflo, Esther. Poor Economics . PublicAffairs. Kindle Edition.

There will be a poverty trap whenever the scope for growing income or wealth at a very fast rate is limited for those who have too little to invest, but expands dramatically for those who can invest a bit more. On the other hand, if the potential for fast growth is high among the poor, and then tapers off as one gets richer, there is no poverty trap.

Banerjee, Abhijit V.; Duflo, Esther. Poor Economics (p. 11). PublicAffairs. Kindle Edition.

Both the right wing and the left wing seem to assume that action follows intention: that if people were convinced of the value of immunization, children would be immunized. This is not always true, and the implications are far-reaching.

Banerjee, Abhijit V.; Duflo, Esther. Poor Economics (p. 64). PublicAffairs. Kindle Edition.

In many cases, time inconsistency is what prevents our going from intention to action.

If they really believed that immunization is as wonderful as WHO believes it to be, they would probably have figured out a way to overcome their natural tendency to procrastinate. The more plausible explanation is that they procrastinate and they underestimate the benefits.

The benefits are in the future, and in any case, it is hard to understand exactly what they are.

Banerjee, Abhijit V.; Duflo, Esther. Poor Economics (p. 67). PublicAffairs. Kindle Edition.

Absence often does not seem to be driven by an obvious need at home.

Schools are available. In most countries, they are free, at least at the primary level. Most children are enrolled. And yet in the various surveys that we have conducted around the world, child absentee rates vary between 14 percent and 50 percent.1 Absence often does not seem to be driven by an obvious need at home.

Banerjee, Abhijit V.; Duflo, Esther. Poor Economics (p. 72). PublicAffairs. Kindle Edition.

So if the failure of schools in developing countries to attract children can?t be explained by problems of access, or lack of demand for educated labor, or parental resistance to educating their children, then where is the snag?

Banerjee, Abhijit V.; Duflo, Esther. Poor Economics (p. 72). PublicAffairs. Kindle Edition.