This paper presents findings from 116 focus group discussions which took place in eleven districts in Bangladesh in mid-2006. It forms the first part of three phases of research in an integrated qualitative and quantitative study into poverty dynamics currently being undertaken by the author and partners from the CPRC, IFPRI and DATA Bangladesh. The central purpose of the focus group discussion...

There was only a jigsaw puzzle of dry ground; A shroud of unfinished power lines dangling in silence. Shadow cows wandered over broken fence pieces, prodding memories of grass. I asked a hungry man, Where is the beautiful land I came to see? This is her legacy, he told me sadly. The legend you seek is dead. She was once virgin bride to the world. Her dowry was a sea of zebra. Her wildebeest thu...

This is a companion paper to Ambrus, Field and Torrero (2009). We extend the theoretical analysis of a marriage market with prenuptial agreements to a dynamic setting, in which individuals can reenter the marriage market after failed marriages. We show that the qualitative conclusions of the static analysis remain valid in the dynamic framework. Additionally, we provide examples, both in the st...