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I think I get what you're going for and see some value but my gut reaction is that the person receiving the remittance and who is on the ground probably has mor

I think I get what you're going for and see some value but my gut reaction is that the person receiving the remittance and who is on the ground probably has more local knowledge/context to decide what to do with the money than you or the person sending it (with exceptions like if they have diminished mental faculties). In my understanding, this is why charities like Givedirectly which does direct cash transfers to the worlds poorest people, have focused on this approach - because a donor (or remitter) has less knowledge and less at stake than the person receiving or purchasing services. I guess my main complaint is that it just feels really paternalistic.

alangibson 5y ago
This. If free-marketeers actually believed people were rational economic actors they would fully support direct cash payments.
- varjag 5y ago
  Where does that leave us non-libertarians who want to help our families?
alex_smart 5y ago
Did you not read the OP? This is not about charity. This is about helping migrants carry out certain tasks back in their home countries. This is basically "Chotu* as a service", a business model which has basically exploded in India (Urban Clap, Dunzo, various food delivery apps are variations on this theme) in last few years, but targeted at a wealthy yet untapped demographic. Genius idea, imo. * Chotu (n.) - a dimunitive name given to a person whose job is to run errands for the family/office. >with exceptions like if they have diminished mental faculties The most common concern for migrants is to care for their aging parents. In this case, their own health is a definitely a big concern and they are often not able to run their errands themselves. Another advantage of the "Chotu as a service" model is that you may not need to employ a Chotu full time, which would save costs. (This is exactly the same as SaaS or IaaS - take a resource that is commonly under-utilized but needed on demand and commodifying it). Also, you might think that keeping a full time Chotu is a piece of cake, but it is not. Managing Chotus also requires time and effort (it is actually, or at least used to be, often the full time job of the housewives in these families). Trust is a big issue, which is usually solved by hiring a Chotu from your own village, so you know their entire family. But these families often have lost those ties with their village, so that also makes hiring a trusted full-time Chotu difficult. > just feels really paternalistic I assure you that do not understand the needs and mindsets of the people this business is meant for.

alangibson 5y ago

This. If free-marketeers actually believed people were rational economic actors they would fully support direct cash payments.

varjag 5y ago
Where does that leave us non-libertarians who want to help our families?

alex_smart 5y ago

Did you not read the OP? This is not about charity. This is about helping migrants carry out certain tasks back in their home countries. This is basically "Chotu* as a service", a business model which has basically exploded in India (Urban Clap, Dunzo, various food delivery apps are variations on this theme) in last few years, but targeted at a wealthy yet untapped demographic. Genius idea, imo. * Chotu (n.) - a dimunitive name given to a person whose job is to run errands for the family/office. >with exceptions like if they have diminished mental faculties The most common concern for migrants is to care for their aging parents. In this case, their own health is a definitely a big concern and they are often not able to run their errands themselves. Another advantage of the "Chotu as a service" model is that you may not need to employ a Chotu full time, which would save costs. (This is exactly the same as SaaS or IaaS - take a resource that is commonly under-utilized but needed on demand and commodifying it). Also, you might think that keeping a full time Chotu is a piece of cake, but it is not. Managing Chotus also requires time and effort (it is actually, or at least used to be, often the full time job of the housewives in these families). Trust is a big issue, which is usually solved by hiring a Chotu from your own village, so you know their entire family. But these families often have lost those ties with their village, so that also makes hiring a trusted full-time Chotu difficult. > just feels really paternalistic I assure you that do not understand the needs and mindsets of the people this business is meant for.