Abhijit V. Banerjee Quotes & Sayings

We must arm ourselves with patience and wisdom and listen to the poor what they want. This is the best way to avoid the trap of ignorance, ideology and inertia on our side. — Abhijit V. Banerjee

For example, people who don't know how to drive may nevertheless want to drive their car. But society feels that it is better if they don't, because of what it means for the rest of us. A free market in driver's licenses obviously cannot solve this problem. — Abhijit V. Banerjee

It might therefore be better for the decentralization to be designed by a centralized authority, with the interest of the less advantaged or less powerful in mind. Power to the people, but not all the power. — Abhijit V. Banerjee

If the teachers and the parents do not believe that the child can cross the hump and get into the steep part of the S - curve, they may as well not try: The teacher ignores the children who have fallen behind and the parent stops taking interest in their education. But this behavior creates a poverty trap even where none exists in the first place. — Abhijit V. Banerjee

But then it is easy, too easy, to sermonize about the dangers of paternalism and the need to take responsibility for our own lives, from the comfort of our couch in our safe and sanitary home. Aren't we, those who live in the rich world, the constant beneficiaries of a paternalism now so thoroughly embedded into the system that we hardly notice it? — Abhijit V. Banerjee

The parts of the brain corresponding to the limbic system (thought to respond only to more visceral, immediate rewards) were activated only when the decision involved comparing a reward today with one in the future. In contrast, the lateral prefrontal cortex (a more "calculating" part of the brain) responded with a similar intensity to all decisions, regardless of the timing of the options. Brains that work like this would produce a lot of failed good intentions. And indeed, we do see a lot of those, from New Year's resolutions to gym memberships that lie unused. — Abhijit V. Banerjee

There is always some cheap pleasant thing to tempt you. — Abhijit V. Banerjee

I graduated from high school and couldn't find a job, which is when I decided to set up as a doctor. — Abhijit V. Banerjee

The poor stay poor here because they do not save enough. — Abhijit V. Banerjee

The poor are no less rational than anyone else - quite the contrary. Precisely because they have so little, we often find them putting much careful thought into their choices:They have to be sophisticated economists just to survive. — Abhijit V. Banerjee

If the rules make such a difference, then it becomes very important who gets to make them. — Abhijit V. Banerjee

A combination of unrealistic goals, unnecessarily pessimistic expectations, and the wrong incentives for teachers contributes to ensure that education systems in developing countries fail their two main tasks: giving everyone a sound basic set of skills, and identifying talent. — Abhijit V. Banerjee

Poverty is not just a lack of money; it is not having the capability to realize one's full potential as a human being. — Abhijit V. Banerjee