[Josh Martin]

In this opinion piece in the New York Times, Associate Professor of Political Science Christopher Blattman of Columbia University discusses the viability of directly giving cash with no conditions to homeless people.  While the subject of handouts to the poor often raises concerns about funding substance abuse, Blattman highlights multiple studies that found no correlation between unconditional cash transfers like the basic income and expenses that would be categorized as wasteful.  To Blattman, unconditional cash transfers must continued to be used.

Christopher Blattman, “Let Them Eat Cash.” The New York Times, 29 June 2014.

Image by Amanda Lanzone

Image by Amanda Lanzone