Hanlon, Joseph
(2004).
| URL: | http://www.open.ac.uk/personalpages/j.hanlon/Hanlo... |
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| DOI (Digital Object Identifier) Link: | https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7660.2004.00356.x |
| Google Scholar: | Look up in Google Scholar |
Abstract
Meghnad Desai of the London School of Economics recently suggested that, rather than 'giving fifty billion dollars of overseas aid', we should simply 'find the poor and give them one dollar a week. ... That would probably do more to relieve poverty than anything else.' Two experiences in Mozambique of simply handing out money show this is possible. Payments to demobilised soldiers over a two-year period and single payments to flood victims were of the order of magnitude suggested by Desai. Rural people had no difficulty cashing cheques and used the money prudently. The money stimulated the rural economy and thus had a development impact. Administrative costs were between 5 and 10 per cent, much less than other aid projects. Using the Mozambique experience, this articles concludes by suggesting that Desai's proposed one dollar per person per week could be paid as a family grant bi-monthly, which would keep administrative costs low.
| Item Type: | Journal Item |
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| ISSN: | 1467-7660 |
| Extra Information: | The definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.com |
| Keywords: | universal grant; cash transfer; basic income |
| Academic Unit/School: | Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) > Politics, Philosophy, Economics, Development, Geography > Development Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) > Politics, Philosophy, Economics, Development, Geography Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) |
| Research Group: | Innovation, Knowledge & Development research centre (IKD) |
| Related URLs: |
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| Item ID: | 2211 |
| Depositing User: | Joseph Hanlon |
| Date Deposited: | 14 Nov 2006 |
| Last Modified: | 02 May 2018 12:32 |
| URI: | http://oro.open.ac.uk/id/eprint/2211 |
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