Escobal, J., Saavedra, J. & Torero, M. (2001). Distribution, access and complementarity: capital of the poor in Peru. En O. Attanasio & M. Székely (Eds), Portrait of the poor: an assets-based approach (pp. 209-240). Washington, DC: BID.

This chapter analyzes the possession of and access to assets by the poor. Private, public and organizational assets are the principal determinants of household spending. Income flows are therefore crucial in determining whether a family is successful in leaving poverty. In this respect, public policies need to be carefully designed to resolve unequal access to certain assets that are suitable for state intervention. These policies must facilitate access to household assets, accumulation of them, and higher returns on them. The chapter first examines the nature and characteristics of poverty in Peru, as well as trends in income distribution, spending and assets. This is followed by an analysis of how these assets are dispersed and possessed by the poor, as well as the extent to which the poor have access to them. Relationships between the different types of assets and the status of poverty are then evaluated along with the mobility of households on the scale of income and spending. The effect of ownership of or access to some public or organizational assets on the return from private assets is also determined.