Power of thinking ‘small’: How small changes drive the big picture

Too much emphasis on the bigger picture can distract from the pragmatic and small base-level things that are critical to achieving larger missions. 'Thinking small' is a core finding of the economic research of co-founders and co-directors of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and Nobel laureates Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo. In their book, 'Poor economics' (2011) the authors warn against “Talking about the problems of the world without talking about accessible solutions”. Instead of imposing a grand solution on an enormous problem, they advocate for making small changes that can add up to a pragmatic solution.