Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo have worked with the poor in dozens of countries, trying to understand the specific problems that come with poverty and to find proven solutions. In this lecture, they argue that so much anti-poverty policy has failed over the years because of an inadequate understanding of poverty. The battle against poverty can be won, but it will take patience, careful thinking and a willingness to learn from evidence.

The second meeting of IGC-Pakistan’s Firms’ Capabilities Research Cluster was held on 26th of April 2011, at the Rausing Centre at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and was designed around a visit from Professor Christopher Woodruff, who directs the Firms’ Capabilities Groups in IGC. The meeting’s purposes were to define more focused research questions to take this cluster forward and obtain ideas on different industries that could lead to projects in the near future. Participants included senior officials from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), members of the private corporate sector, USAID Firms Project specialists and leading academics.

The summary has been prepared by Ravid Chowdhury, Data Fellow, IGC Bangladesh, and Anik Ashraf, In-Country Economist, IGC Bangladesh, and Adam Green, IGC Communications Officer.