The Power of the Poor
With Hernando de Soto

Thursday, October 8 at 9:00 pm

Is it possible that the poor hold the key to surprising and considerable wealth, which if recognized, legally formalized and cultivated, could help the bottom billion overcome the plague of poverty? In The Power of the Poor, renowned Peruvian economist, author, and property rights activist Hernando de Soto, addresses this question and introduces viewers to the greater majority of the world's people, which are locked in poverty.

In this one-hour documentary, de Soto takes viewers through the evolution of his ideas. As a Peruvian youth growing up in Switzerland, he learned that his host country was also once impoverished and struggling with a fractured economy - just like his homeland. Throughout the program he introduces viewers to poor Peruvian landholders and entrepreneurs showing how they are creating wealth through trade in its purest and simplest form. The special also provides examples of how reforms have delivered the poor from an unmeasured extralegal economy into prosperity ensured and guaranteed by the rule of law.

On Thursday, October 8 at 9:00 pm, The Power of the Poor with Hernando de Soto will premiere on WTTW11. This exclusive documentary examines how de Soto's ideas defeated Maoist terrorists and how these same ideas can build prosperity among developing nations everywhere. The special will help viewers understand how the developing world's underground, "informal" economies can be harnessed to directly benefit the world's poor.