Only relief achieves short-term poverty reduction, but is ineffective in the long run. Sustainable poverty reduction can only be attained through well-designed long-term development measures. For example, Indonesia is considered one of the most successful countries with regard to poverty...

Can microcredit make an already slippery slope more slippery? : some lessons from the social meaning of debt / Thomas Dichter -- Is microdebt good for poor people? : a note on the dark side of microfinance / David Hulme -- Imagining microfinance more boldly : unleashing the true potential of...

The poor can and do save, but often use formal or informal instruments that have high risk, high cost, and sub-optimal design. This could lead to undersaving compared to a world without market or behavioral frictions. Undersaving has important welfare consequences: variable consumption, low...

The poor can and do save, but often use formal or informal instruments that have high risk, high cost, and limited functionality. This could lead to undersaving compared to a world without market or behavioural frictions. Undersaving can have important welfare consequences: variable consumption,...