Alejandro Higuera Osuna , the mayor of Mazatlán, Mexico, and his wife, the city's family assistance director Juana Guillermina Higuera Avila, provide food boxes to a woman.
[Craig Axford]
A study looking into Mexico’s Programa de Apoyo Alimentario food aid program finds that giving those in need food is more costly and no more effective than simply giving people direct financial aid and allowing them to buy food on their own. In addition to using the money to buy food as intended, direct assistance reduces the cost of the program by nearly 20% compared to the traditional food distribution system. This finding adds to the growing body of research showing people spend unconditional assistance responsibly, contrary to what many BIG opponents claim.
Dylan Matthews, “Mexico tried giving poor people cash instead of food. It worked.”, Vox, June 26, 2014
