Monday, June 03, 2013

Cash First!

Randy Mayeux sent an interesting essay from Slate.com my way recently.  In it Matthew Yglesias argues that  the best way to really assist the world's poor is to provide direct cash transfers to them.

I find Yglesias' analysis fascinating and, in may ways, counter intuitive to much thinking in the nation today.

In much the same way that "housing first" provides a super-charged solution to homelessness, the idea of "cash first" offers up life, incentive and initiative for recipients.  Take a look at the article here.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

What do you expect from Slate? It's drawing card is that it prides itself on being counter- intitutive.

Anonymous said...

Isn't it done now? It's called welfare.

Randy Mayeux said...

And so, whoever "anonymous" is reads Larry's article -- may or may not read the article Larry links to - says "I'll attack this one this way today" - and never responds to the actual substance of the article. Amazing!

Larry James said...

Yep, Randy. I allow Anon comments just so reasonable people are able to see/hear these attitudes.

Anonymous said...

I can believe that. More people around the world are getting out of poverty because of unfettered capitalism even as America is becoming poorer because of socialism.

Anonymous said...

Your idelogical goggles are on a little too tightly, Anon. Compared to most developed countries the US is the most "unfettered" in its approach to capitalism.