Portfolios of the Poor

{{Short description|2009 book by Stuart Rutherford, Jonathan Morduch, Orlanda Ruthven, and Daryl Collins}}

{{Orphan|date=July 2016}}

{{Infobox book

| name = Portfolios of the Poor: How the World's Poor Live on $2 a Day

| language = English

| country = United States

| genre = Business, economics

| publisher = Princeton University Press

| isbn = 978-1400829965

| authors = Stuart Rutherford, Jonathan Morduch, Daryl Collins, Orlanda Ruthven

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| image = Porfolios of the Poor.jpg

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| caption = First edition

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| pub_date = {{start date|2009|01|09}}

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| media_type = Print

| pages = 296 pp.

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| oclc = 940547709

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Portfolios of the Poor: How the World's Poor Live on $2 a Day is a book that aims to systematically explain how the poor find solutions to their everyday financial problems.{{Cite journal|last=Baer|first=Werner|title=Portfolios of the Poor: How the World's Poor Live on $2 a Day (review)|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/375591|journal=Enterprise & Society|date=2010 |volume=11|issue=1|pages=182–185 |doi=10.1093/es/khp083 |issn=1467-2235}} It is written by Stuart Rutherford, Jonathan Morduch, Orlanda Ruthven, and Daryl Collins.{{Cite web|url=http://wagner.nyu.edu/faculty/publications/portfolios-poor-how-worlds-poor-live-2-day|title=Portfolios of the Poor: How the World's Poor Live on $2 a Day {{!}} NYU Wagner|website=wagner.nyu.edu|access-date=2016-07-05}}

Background

The book is the culmination of 10 years of research into the financial lives of the lowest classes of Bangladesh, India, and South Africa—with a focus on those living on less than two dollars a day per person.{{Cite web|url=http://www.cgdev.org/blog/review-portfolios-poor-how-worlds-poor-live-2-day|title=Review of Portfolios of the Poor: How the World's Poor Live on $2 a Day|access-date=2016-07-05}}

Reception

In 2015 Mark Zuckerberg announced that he highly recommended everyone read Portfolios of the Poor. He wrote: "It's mind-blowing that almost half the world—almost 3 billion people—live on $2.50 a day or less. More than one billion people live on $1 a day or less. This book explains how these families invest their money to best support themselves. I hope reading this provides some insight into ways we can all work to support them better as well."{{Cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-recommends-portfolios-of-the-poor-2015-9|title=Why Mark Zuckerberg wants everyone to read about how the poor spend their money|website=Business Insider |access-date=2016-07-05}}

The New Yorker reported "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."{{Cite magazine|url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/06/29/portfolios-of-the-poor|title=Portfolios of the Poor|magazine=The New Yorker|date=22 June 2009 |access-date=2016-07-05}} Reuters wrote "Portfolios of the Poor includes concrete ideas for moving forward. Getting there, though, requires us to first step back and listen."{{Cite web|url=http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate-uk/2009/06/04/living-on-2-a-day/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606110332/http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate-uk/2009/06/04/living-on-2-a-day/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2009-06-06|title=How the world's poor live on $2 a day|last=Morduch|first=Jonathan|website=Reuters Blogs|access-date=2016-07-05}}

"The book's methodology and conclusions are fascinating," Publishers Weekly concluded.{{Cite web|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-691-14148-0|title=Nonfiction Book Review: Portfolios of the Poor: How the World's Poor Live on $2 a Day by Daryl Collins|access-date=2016-07-05}}

References

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