The correct answer is Ragnar Nurks. Explanation & Key Takeaways: • The statement "A country is poor because it is poor" is associated with the economist Ragnar Nurkse. • This is a summary of his theory of the "vicious circle of poverty". • According to Nurkse, underdeveloped countries remain in a state of underdevelopment due to the vicious circles that exist on both the demand side and the supply side. • On the demand side, low income leads to low savings, which results in low investment and thus low income. On the supply side, low income means low capacity to invest, leading to low productivity, and again, low income. • Thus, the cycle continues, keeping the country in a state of poverty.