Moving Out of Poverty - 9780821372173

This World Bank study of poverty in India is different from others, according to project director Narayan, in that the focus is on realities from the bottom up; the dynamics of social, political, and economic institutions at the local level; and the complex economic, psychological, social, political, institutional, and community-level processes that are hidden beneath net poverty rates. It also includes the voices of people experiencing poverty, who have moved out of poverty, and others and relies on life stories, discussion groups, and community questionnaires for its data. Some of the study's key findings include: official poverty lines systematically underestimate poverty, net poverty figures hide the dynamics of moving out of poverty and falling into poverty, the chronic poor undertake as many initiatives as the better off, falling into poverty is primarily the result of health and social shocks, aspirations are a powerful force for moving out of poverty, poor people's self-confidence and empowerment matters, family is the most important institution, poor people value democracy as an ideal even if it doesn't help them, the private sector and civil society are underutilized resources, and caste barriers are unevenly falling. Co-published with Palgrave Macmillan. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)