The Economics of Being Poor is mainly devoted to the economics of acquiring skills and knowlede, to investment in the quality of the population and to the increasing economic importance of human capital - the quality of the work-force embodied in the health, education and skills, including the entrepreneurial skills of the workers themselves. The volume is divided into three parts: Most People are Poor, Invsting in Skills and Knowledge, and Effects of Human Capital.

The Economics of Being Poor represents a remarkable testament to perhaps the most elegant stylist in post-war economics.