[Jason Burke Murphy – USBIG]
Reporters David Kestenbaum and Jacob Goldstein interview the founders of GiveDirectly and travel to a village in Kenya where they gave many inhabitants $1,000 with no conditions. Most of these recipients were getting by spending about that same amount every year.
Bernard Omondi got $1,000 from GiveDirectly. -Jacob Goldstein/NPR
Reporters were able to verify that many recipients made purchases with long-term beneficial consequences. These included roof repair, motorcycles for a taxi service, and a dowry for marriage. Interestingly, many recipients had a very low assessment of their neighbor’s use of the money. Reporters found that most neighbors were making good choices.
GiveDirectly is conducting very intensive surveys to compare their approach to that made by other charities. They have received support from Google Giving.
GiveDirectly is not issuing a Basic Income Guarantee. They only give once to each recipient and they do not give to everyone in an area. They often choose recipients based on simple indicators of deep poverty-like grass roofs. They are giving money unconditionally and their arguments for their approach mirror closely argument for a BIG.
Planet Money also talked about another charity, Heifer Project International, which gives livestock to poor people alongside training in how to raise them. Recipients promise to give the next offspring as a gift to someone else in need.
Planet Money asserts that future research would determine which approach solves more problems for poor people. The podcast mentions government cash transfer programs like those found in Mexico and Brazil. These have soft conditions like school attendance and immunizations. They are also a regularly occurring source of income.
More people are hearing about unconditional cash transfer and government development programs like Brazil’s Bolsa Familia. This is likely to make a guaranteed income more familiar when people do hear about it.
Several different version of this report were broadcast on different NPR programs:
A family in western Kenya received this cow as part of a Heifer International program. -NPR
A 28-minute report was broadcast on This American Life:
David Kestenbaum and Jacob Goldstein, “Money for Nothing and Your Cows for Free,” as part of the one-hour episode, “I Was Just Trying to Help“, This American Life, August 16, 2013
A 6-minute report was broadcast on Planet Money:
David Kestenbaum and Jacob Goldstein, “The Charity That Just Gives Money to Poor People“, Planet Money, August 23, 2013.
Morning Edition and All Things Considered broadcast a two-part story on this report:
David Kestenbaum and Jacob Goldstein, “The Charity That Just Gives Money to Poor People“, Morning Edition, August 23, 2013 and David Kestenbaum and Jacob Goldstein, “Cash, Cows, and the Rise of Nerd Philanthropy,” All Things Considered, August 23, 2013.
