What really drives the poor

Economists Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo wrote a book on Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty (short article):

“Generally, it is clear that things that make life less boring are a priority for the poor.” (…) “They don’t just need nutrition that will keep them alive longer - they also need a reason to want to live longer.”

Interesting read. It almost seems as if they advocate to give more money to poor people. But I recognise that poor people often don’t have the inner space in their lives to care about long-term things like immunization and education, and that these small immediate benefits could help them; it might be a step in reversing the spiral.