Governments of developed countries are devoting billions of dollars to combating global poverty, and thousands of charities and NGOs are working in this area. However, at its core, all of this work is guided by untested generalizations at best and harmful misconceptions at worst. Bannerjee and Duflo were among the first to use randomized controlled trials in development economics. Work based on these principles is being conducted under the direction of the MIT Poverty Action Lab in dozens of countries. Throughout the book, the authors emphasize that the lives of the poor are simply not like those of everyone else, are far more precarious, and lack the guarantees and advantages typically enjoyed by those more affluent.