Charles Kenny, “For Fighting Poverty, Cash Is Surprisingly Effective”

[BICN – Jenna van Draanen – June 2013]

Kenny writes an article for Bloomberg Business Week that challenges prevalent attitudes about alleviating poverty with cash transfers. He cites two particular studies that involved grants given to people living in Uganda and also gives examples from the United States.

Kenny discusses the US 1970s negative income tax experiments that guaranteed an income to thousands of low-income recipients and cites outcomes of improved test scores and school attendance for the children of recipients, reduced prevalence of low-birth-weight infants, and increased home ownership.

He argues that many studies of cash transfers in both developed and developing countries have led to a variety of impacts and that these studies have shown that impacts are not correlated with any conditions applied. He also argues for the cost-efficacy of administering such unconditional programs. The author is critical of the argument that poverty is a result of moral failings of the poor and believes this is a justification for taking a paternalistic approach to poverty relief.

Charles Kenny “For Fighting Poverty, Cash Is Surprisingly Effective,” Bloomberg Business Week. June 3, 2013. The original article can be found here: https://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-06-03/for-fighting-poverty-cash-is-surprisingly-effective#r=rss

UGANDA: Ready to quit begging

The article “Kyebando, home of Kampala’s beggars” is a report about the situation of beggars in Kyebando, Uganda. It ends with the words:

The people are ready to quit begging, but their only fear is where to get money for their upkeep.

“If we get proper help, we can stop begging. We need certain necessities before we can let go,” Olar says.

Some say they own land at their ancestral homes, but have no money to develop it, yet they cannot work it, since they are disabled. They say the government has not helped them either.

“The authorities say they don’t want us in the city, but they have not taken time to know what our problems are. They ought to help us,” says Olar.

Begging is now their way of life and changing it will require alternatives that guarantee some basic income. Until such a substitute is found, the daily journey of these crippled men and women from across the trench in Kyebando-Kisalosalo to the city streets will continue for years to come.

Full article:
https://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14009:kyebando-home-of-kampalas-beggars&catid=34:news&Itemid=59