Our interviews and perusal of the data available suggest that the poorest families in the world spend approximately 10 times as much (20 percent of their incomes on average) on a combination of alcohol, prostitution, candy, sugary drinks and lavish feasts as they do on educating their children (2 percent).

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"When women command greater power, child health and nutrition improves," Duflo says.

So, if you give women more economic power, children's -- in particular, daughters' -- well-being will improve, and over time the entire community' well-being will improve (in no small part because those daughters will grow up with more economic power and in a better position to contribute to society.)

The West won the world not by the superiority of its ideas or values or religion, but rather by its superiority in applying organized violence.