Posted: Jun 09, 2013 6:38 am
1) Your tags in post 27 are mis-attributing stuff to me.
2) I'm very sympathetic to the idea that people can't be trusted with money generally, and I suspect that poor people tend to be more irresponsible than others on average with money. People aren't rational actors in many ways, and the pressures that come with poverty (and, occasionally, the traits that lead one to poverty) only compound that problem.
3) That said, I'm not sure that directly investing in poor people is less efficient than distributing that money through broad programs.
4) Like, it may be that optimal policy is to (to put it very broadly and vaguely) mostly cut checks, but to also have a reduced program for the problem cases who really need a hand to hold. I don't know.
2) I'm very sympathetic to the idea that people can't be trusted with money generally, and I suspect that poor people tend to be more irresponsible than others on average with money. People aren't rational actors in many ways, and the pressures that come with poverty (and, occasionally, the traits that lead one to poverty) only compound that problem.
3) That said, I'm not sure that directly investing in poor people is less efficient than distributing that money through broad programs.
4) Like, it may be that optimal policy is to (to put it very broadly and vaguely) mostly cut checks, but to also have a reduced program for the problem cases who really need a hand to hold. I don't know.