Abhijit Banerjee

The biggest lesson from our work is that context matters enormously.

We are trying to build a science of poverty alleviation.

The world is a laboratory, and we are constantly learning.

It's not about big ideas, it's about small, actionable insights.

We need to be humble enough to admit when we are wrong.

The fight against poverty is a collaborative effort.

The poor are not just victims; they are problem-solvers.

Our research is driven by a deep sense of empathy.

The goal is to create a world where everyone has a fair chance.

We are trying to make economics more relevant to the real world.

Poverty is not just a lack of money; it is a lack of capabilities.

The poor often make choices that seem irrational to us, but they are rational given their constraints.

We need to understand the world as the poor see it.

Randomized controlled trials have revolutionized how we think about policy.

Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to fight poverty.

Incentives matter, but context matters more.

The biggest mistake in development is assuming we know better than the people we are trying to help.

Health is not just about medicine; it's about the environment in which people live.

We must listen to the poor to design effective policies.

Economics should be about improving lives, not just models.