Featuring insights from research published in his book, Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much (Mullainathan & Shafir, 2013), CIFAR Senior Fellow Shafir delves into the psychology that comes from not having enough. Scarcity in various forms, from poverty and scheduling pressures to hunger and loneliness, concentrates the mind, focuses on alleviating pressing shortages and thus reduces the mental bandwidth available to address other important needs.

A presentation by CIFAR Senior Fellow Eldar Shafir, Princeton University, at CIFAR's Building Better Lives & Communities symposium on September 19, 2013.