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Going with the previous calculation of $180/month ($2160/year), that's about a 9% annual increase for a family of 4 at the poverty line (I'm seeing stats of ~24

Going with the previous calculation of $180/month ($2160/year), that's about a 9% annual increase for a family of 4 at the poverty line (I'm seeing stats of ~24/year). One of the main ways in which redistribution programs are justified is by pointing out that a marginal dollar goes further for a poor person than a rich one. So I would hardly call this a "little" money, relative to baseline. Having said that, one of the key advantages of unconditional cash transfers is that with much lower compliance/monitoring costs, a much higher percentage of all funds can go directly to the poor. GiveDirectly provides an 'imperfect estimate' of 81%, for the record https://www.givewell.org/charities/give-directly#CashRatios https://www.givewell.org/charities/give-directly#CashRatios

kevmo 9y ago
$2k/year isn't going to change anyone's life in America very much. 9% of a tiny amount is also a tiny amount.
- toasterlovin 9y ago
  You can accomplish a lot with $166/month: - Mostly cover the cost of operating a car - Feed 2+ people (white rice is $34/month for 2400 calories/day; chicken is $60/month, whole milk is $80/month; mix and match to taste) While $2k/year isn't a whole lot of money, it's marginal. If you're living at the edge of what you can afford, even a 9% bump can put you in a much more comfortable place.