TWO world-class experts in poverty reduction are in Jakarta this week. C.K. Prahalad introduces a new paradigm on poverty. The Michigan University lecturer, in his book The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid, attempts to convince the public that the poor are not a problem, but a promising potential market. Of course, this is only possible if they are integrated into the dynamics of the world market.

The other expert, Hernado de Soto, author of T