Public Lecture

Does money make you smarter? The effects of extreme poverty on economic decisions: Dr Anandi Mani

Part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2015

There is evidence that people who live in extreme poverty around the world often make poor economic decisions. They do not invest enough in their farms, their children, and their own health and wellbeing. Have these people been reduced to poverty because of the bad decisions they made, or do they come to make bad decisions because they are poor to start with? Dr Mani presented the evidence that she and her collaborators have collected, and discussed what is implied for economic policies and programmes that aim to alleviate chronic poverty.

The Festival of Social Sciences is a nationwide event organised by the ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council). Its aim is to offer insight into some of the UK’s leading Social Science research and how it influences our social, economic and political lives.