Book Review Why People Become Poor and How they Escape Poverty - Thought-provoking and Illuminating

 “Thousands of households in every region studied have succumbed to poverty on account of a combination of ill-health, lack of access to qualified medical attention and high health care costs.  Thousands of other people continue to live only one illness away from poverty”, writes Anirudh Krishna in his 2010 book One Illness Away: Why People Become Poor and How They Escape Poverty published by Oxford University Press.

Interviewing a poor couple in their home in India (the interviewers are sitting on either side.) Photo courtesy Anirudh Krishna.

In relating this research study, Anirudh Krishna recounts the problems with defining poverty only by income, and the lack of a methodology to measure poverty.  Dr. Krishna explains the basis of “Stages of Progress” methodology. The methodology is explained in detail on Dr. Krishna's web page available at http://sanford.duke.edu/krishna/ . Through examples and stories, Dr. Krishna explains how the methodology was implemented to measure poverty.  The book provides interesting insights about why people become poor, and what gets people out of poverty.  It is a very thought-provoking read, and clearly explains the rationale for policies that can prevent and reduce poverty. 

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Acknowledgement: I read about the book through Afia Yamoah’s review of the book in the new journal ," Poverty & Public Policy: Vol. 3: Iss. 2, Article 11. DOI: 10.2202/1944-2858.1171 Available at: http://www.psocommons.org/ppp/vol3/iss2/art11

By Priti Irani, MSPH, CHPPD Section Past-Chair, pri01@health.state.ny.us