Anti-Poverty Psychology

Stuart Carr is known for applying organisational psychology, with inter-related disciplines, to poverty reduction. His research ‘breaks through’ into world-class applied journals, the OECD’s “Policy Insights” and UNESCO’s “Higher Education Policy.” His books include Psychology of aid, Psychology and the developing world, Globalization and culture at work, Poverty and psychology, The Aid triangle, and The Psychology of Global Mobility. He contributed the chapter on Psychology applied to poverty in the International Association of Applied Psychology’s “Handbook of Applied Psychology.” His recent international grant awards include leading Project ADDUP, which researched dual salary systems in aid and was funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (now UK Aid) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Stuart convenes a Global Task Force on Humanitarian Work Psychology, a White Papers Policy series for his profession globally, and the first Global Special Issue on Psychology and Poverty Reduction, involving twelve major international journals. He also co-edits the Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology, which focuses on development issues, and is Associate Editor for the Journal of Managerial Psychology, which has a focus on social innovation and change.

"When one considers wealth, one must take into account how global connections related to international trading, exchanges, and currency affect the affluence of any individual on a local level. Although poverty is found globally, it is sometimes difficult to imagine how the economic decisions on one side of the world may affect the lives of an impoverished family on another side. Yet the global mechanisms that facilitate wealth and affluence also affect the lives and policy decisions around poverty. Such is the scope and focus of Stuart Carr's book, Anti-Poverty Psychology. The book is divided into three major sections: Levels, Places, and Nexus...Among the strengths in Carr's book are his historical analyses of psychology's role in understanding, and sometimes perpetuating, poverty. It is difficult to imagine for somereaders, but the discipline's role in understanding people in poverty, impoverishment, and global connections to poverty has been limited and at times denigrating to those in poverty. The book is likely written for psychologists who are engaged in antipoverty work and who are familiar with concepts related to economic inequality and poverty. Carr's writing is dense at times, and the reader is expected to work hard to digest his arguments and propositions. This is good because he does not have the space to explain and rationalize his approach to antipoverty psychology. He writes forcefully to engage psychologists. In sum, the book is an excellent compendium of current antipoverty actions, and psychologists will find useful resources to conceptualize their own place in antipoverty work." William Ming Liu PsycCRITIQUES August 28, 2013, Vol. 58, Release 35, Article 4 "No one can claim an understanding of the causes of poverty nor an understanding of how to reduce poverty without having read " Anti-Poverty Psychology" by Stuart Carr. And no one should dare become involved in any poverty reduction programs without having read, studied and digested this book. Professor Carr examines the complexity of poverty and its reduction without resorting to cliches, oversimplifications and the rhetoric we have all heard before. Rather he examines every strand of this complex issue from a research and scientific basis and relates it to the events we read about each day. Each strand of this complexity is examined from its beginnings to its current status invoking all aspects of psychology, sociology, anthropology, political science, business and ethics. In this process he weaves the strands together into a whole that informs us of he essential causes of poverty and the necessary elements for its reduction." Walter Reichman, Ed.D.

• Part I: Levels.- Personality.- Organizations.- Part II: Community.- Markets.- Media.- Part III: Nexus.- Aid.- Mobility.- Systems.