"The Power of the Poor" tells the story of how a small group of economists helped defeat Peru's brutal Shining Path terrorists, pressured the government into making legal reforms that have lifted millions out of poverty and, in the process, became repeated targets for bombing and assassinations. It is a look at the vital role that efficient, inclusive laws and private property play in prosperity and social peace. Filmed on location and featuring Peruvian economist and author Hernando de Soto, the program relates how corruption and bureaucracy have locked two thirds of the world's population out of national and global economies. Forced to operate outside the rule of law, they have created their own parallel, but extremely limited, extralegal systems. Facing the growing violence of the Sendero Luminoso, de Soto and his team were able to pass legal reforms that helped lead to the defeat of the Shining Path, and set the stage for Peru's economic resurgence.
