Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP5968
Authors: Abhijit Banerjee; Esther Duflo
Abstract: This paper uses survey data from 13 countries to document the economic lives of the poor (those living on less than $2 dollar per day per capita at purchasing power parity) or the extremely poor (those living on less than $1 dollar per day). We describe their patterns of consumption and income generation as well as their access to markets and publicly provided infrastructure. The paper concludes with a discussion of some apparent anomalous choices.
Keywords: Consumption Choices; Development; Poverty
JEL Codes: O10; O15; O16
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| income (E25) | food consumption (D12) |
| cultural and social factors (Z10) | food consumption (D12) |
| poverty (I32) | complex decision-making (D91) |
| family size (J12) | economic choices (D10) |
| diversifying income sources (E25) | manage economic risks (E64) |
| lack of access to formal credit markets (G21) | reliance on informal lending (G21) |
| reliance on informal lending (G21) | economic challenges (F69) |