If we stop thinking of the poor as victims or as a burden and start recognizing them as resilient and creative entrepreneurs and value-conscious consumers, a whole new world of opportunity will open up, according to C K Prahalad in his book The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty Through Profits. Rather than being a drain on the rich world’s resources, the poor can be a source of innovations and the engine of the next round of global trade and prosperity.
For more than 50 years a broad range of government and non-government organizations have been fighting poverty, but they have not succeeded in eradicating it. According to the author, we need a new approach which involves partnering with the poor to create large-scale profitable entrepreneurship in which the poor are actively engaged. There is a significant opportunity for value-creation latent in the bottom-of-the-pyramid market.
The book goes on to describe a number of companies which are successfully enriching the lives of the poor while operating profitably. Aravind Eye Care System, which provides cataract surgery, operates profitably and is the largest eye care facility in the world, yet 60% of the patients are treated for free. ITC placed computers in villages, allowing farmers to check prices, make better decisions, and improve their income. Many other large-scale success stories are told.
In my view the book proposes a very helpful approach to fighting poverty, devoid of the usual paternalistic assumptions. On the whole the poor are not looking for our charity; they are looking for opportunities to use their skills and labour to improve their circumstances. However the title of the book seems to overstate the “fortune” that is to be made. The examples given by the author were viable businesses, but they were focused on serving their customers, not on making a fortune. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in serving the poor.