Poverty and the Developing Brain
People love “Rags to Riches” stories—those sanguine tales in which someone who grew up in poverty manages to become extremely wealthy and professionally successful.
People love “Rags to Riches” stories—those sanguine tales in which someone who grew up in poverty manages to become extremely wealthy and professionally successful.
When considering poverty, our national conversation tends to overlook systemic causes. Instead, we often blame the poor for their poverty.
Can behavioral science help end poverty? We think so, and we have a few ideas.
Picture yourself on a beach. You are basking in the hot sun, feeling incredibly thirsty. Fortunately, there’s a bar at the resort where you’re staying. It’s pricey, but it’s just a few steps away. How much are you willing to pay for a cold beer?
It’s well documented that the consequences of childhood poverty are immediate and long-lasting. By their first day in school, children in poverty score worse than their middle and upper class peers on nearly every developmental measure from language use to attention skills.
In this exclusive excerpt of their new book Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir explore the concept of scarcity: its ubiquity, its challenges, and its silver lining.