3 ms·
(Disclosure: I donate to the new basic income charity, which I started when I found a way to do it from Australia). https://www.givedirectly.org/ https://www.g
by T2_t2 10y ago
(Disclosure: I donate to the new basic income charity, which I started when I found a way to do it from Australia).
https://www.givedirectly.org/ https://www.givedirectly.org/ is the website, and the homepage answers a lot of questions.
> tracking spending habits could be construed as a condition of receiving subsequent installments and thus change the recipients' behavior into what they think GD wants them to spend it on, rather than what they'd actually want to spend it on.
I agree that https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Observer_effect_(physics) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Observer_effect_(physics) is probably true, but the the question is really hard to answer or put in perspective because "what I want to spend money on" changes based on lots of factors, not least of which is the amount received.
It is also likely that getting three payments changes the spending from receiving a single payment, which would be different to the spending from GD's latest program, https://www.givedirectly.org/basic-income https://www.givedirectly.org/basic-income, a test to "... scientifically test the idea of a universal basic income by providing regular cash payments to thousands of extremely poor households in East Africa for more than ten years."
There are sooooooo many questions about cash transfers, and given the almost complete lack of administrative costs - $0.91 in every dollar ending up in a poor person's hand is insane - they are all worth investigating. Your question is likely item 9,999 on that list :)
As an example of the questions that need an answer, one I found interesting was this: https://www.givedirectly.org/blog-post?id=3343219868516533613 https://www.givedirectly.org/blog-post?id=334321986851653361...
> In Uganda and Rwanda more than 96% of eligible recipients have opted in, respectively.
> ... In July 2015 we entered Homa Bay, a new county and our first venture outside of Siaya. In Homa Bay and the neighboring areas, roughly 45% of the households we speak with decline to be enrolled into the program.
It is amazing that people will give up free money, and shows the lengths GD goes to investigate the problems surrounding cash transfers.
- canada_dry 10y ago91% of donations going towards the intended recipients is almost too-good-to-be-true. I volunteered for a small locally run charity in a Nairobi slum and observed that for every dollar received, the Director would use up to 60% towards maintaining him and his family. This, I was told, is the norm.
- angrow 10y agoThe legal requirement for an organization to receive tax-free nonprofit status in the US is that at least 5% of funds be spent to serve the stated mission. The bar is low everywhere.