The Nature of Mass Poverty: ,

The author, a noted economist from Harvard, visited four continents to determine why some civilizations remain poor. He wondered why some groups had stayed poor for centuries. He found that poor societies accommodate their poverty. As hard as it is to live in poor conditions, unfortunately people find it more difficult to accept the hardship -- the challenge -- involved in making a better living. Thus, they accommodate their poverty, and it lingers from year to year, even decade to decade. A brilliant insight and a book for the ages.