Is food the number one priority for poor people? Not necessarily, according to Massachusetts Institute of Technology economist Abhijit Banerjee.
Motivated by the idea that the poor are starving, Western aid often focuses on providing food. But Banerjee argues that while nutrition is important, it’s not necessarily a poor person’s only priority.
Rather, the poor are often eager to trade off a little less food for an opportunity to buy a television or splurge for a wedding or funeral.
How to help the poor? It’s not so simple. Read more here.