Book Review: ‘Poor Relief’ by Heath Henderson

Book Title: Poor Relief: Why Giving People Money Is Not the Answer to Global Poverty
Author: Heath Henderson
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Number of Pages: 256
ISBN: 0674305744
Date Published: Nov. 20, 2025
Price: INR 408 / $31.55

Book Review

“Poor Relief: Why Giving People Money Is Not the Answer to Global Poverty” by Heath Henderson questions the trendy idea of cash handouts to end poverty. The book claims direct payments ignore deep issues like bad roads, bias, and shaky markets that keep folks stuck. The author, an expert in economics, pulls from places like India to prove money drops often flop for the weakest, such as old people far from banks or stores.

Author Henderson nails overlooked problems: handouts can hike prices, worsen fights at home, or pull children from class into jobs. He calls for grass-roots solutions, like local drives for safe water and clinics, instead of elite gifts betting on perfect trade systems. True tales, from India’s rice-to-cash switch leaving women and the handicapped in a bind, drive the point home strongly.

Inside the book, he also points out that although giving people cash is often seen as an easy way to reduce poverty, it does not solve the deeper problems that keep people poor. Many struggle to access or use cash due to weak systems, limited markets, or social barriers, and the most vulnerable are often left out. People living in poverty frequently prefer essentials like food, healthcare, education, and infrastructure. Real progress against poverty needs solutions shaped by their voices and focused on long-term, structural change rather than quick fixes.

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The book’s contents lean too hard into blanket claims—cash shines where trade flows easily, but the book brushes off those cases. Heavy jargon and doom stats may bore everyday readers hungry for uplift. Even so, it fuels key talks on hearing the needy over rich-world whims.

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