Paul Polak, whose organization International Development Enterprises (IDE) has directly helped over 17 million people get out of poverty permanently, exposes the top 3 things we are doing wrong in our efforts to end the root causes of poverty. He then, through the story of a Nepali farmer, goes on to detail solutions for what actually works in ending poverty
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"The author is a little high on himself and that definitely detracts from the good ideas in this book. I do recommend it, though. It gives a good detailed description of dollar-a-day poverty in the world and gives succinct ways of solving it. If nothing else, it will cause you to think."
— KellyWells (4 out of 5 stars)
" Think agriculture and treadle pumps are the way to go to help people out of poverty- then this book is for you. It's all about using business practices to help alleviate poverty "
— Stephanie, 2/3/2014" Very interesting, informative and inspiring; not particularly well-written. "
— James, 12/25/2013" A very thought provoking take on international development from someone who knows what he's talking about. Instead of expounding theories from an ivory tower, Paul Polak rolls up his sleeves and gets the job done. Everyone who wants to help end extreme poverty must read this. "
— Charles, 12/17/2013" This book focuses on one very specific idea, which is that rural people living on less than a dollar a day should use low-cost drip irrigation to grow labor intensive produce out of season. According to Polak, if we can just help them get started with that, all the problems associated with poverty will solve themselves. "
— Mitchell, 12/17/2013" interesting - didn't know the focus was about rural agricultural development, but it's interesting so far... "
— Daniel, 12/4/2013" Simple solutions to mankind's most pressing issues "
— Michael, 11/27/2013" One of my heroes in the space. Very informal voice, not earth shattering writing but gives a good glimpse into the mind of Polak. I love his relentless pursuit of the simple and affordable and his commitment to the most poor. "
— David, 11/19/2013" Although I'm a huge advocate of Polak's arguments and the work of IDE, I found this book to be a bit too mechanical and "textbook"y for my taste. I was a bit disappointed after reading this. "
— Sophia, 11/18/2013" This is the one book about ending poverty that has most closely matched what I feel is possible. A wonderful book and a great reason to get off your ass and do something. "
— Cesar, 10/29/2013" I enjoyed hearing the ideas of this "out of the box" thinker on how to end poverty in our lifetime. He is making a huge difference! "
— Deborah, 10/13/2013" Some very interesting theories here about how to alleviate poverty. But it could have been a much shorter book, as the author repeats himself frequently. Read the first few chapters to get the theory, and skim the rest to see some examples. "
— JoyfulK, 9/28/2013" A very straight-forward and pragmatic guide by Paul Polak, of IDE. While his focus is on rural communities, I believe that some ideas (such as small packaging of higher-quality products) can be translated to the urban setting. "
— Jane, 8/13/2013" The book gives another view of helping the poor to come out of poverty. "
— Arya, 7/17/2013" This was interesting, but very one-note. He talks about a few interesting design approaches, but he takes his time doing it. "
— Jessamyn, 4/9/2013" This book is incredibly inspiring. "
— Nicholas, 3/28/2013" Mr. Polak has spent 25+ years with his organization, IDE, lifting over 17 million people out of poverty, without charity, gifts or subsidies. He believes creating "extremely affordable" products that "the Other 90%" needs is the way Out. "
— David, 3/13/2013" I felt Polak had a wonderful point of view and fresh ideas compared to many in the non-profit sector, but the book could probably have been half the length and still gotten the point across. "
— Julie, 2/25/2013" the message.. increase the income of the poor people and the rest like health , education, housing will just follow. "
— Sonam, 2/10/2013Paul Polak is the founder of Colorado-based nonprofit International Development Enterprises. For the past twenty-five years, Paul has worked with thousands of farmers in countries around the world to help design and produce low-cost, income-generating products that have already moved seventeen million people out of poverty. He is the winner of numerous awards, including being named one of Atlantic’s 50 Brave Thinkers in 2009.