Righteous Money

People of Otjivero in Namibia lived in absolute poverty. Women prostituted themselves for food while men were either drunk or waited around doing nothing (70% unemployment).

42% of the children were malnourished. A new kind of aid agency came up with a different idea for development. Just give them money!

No discrimination between rich or poor. No bureacracy to determine eligibility. Anybody who wanted money was given 100 Namibian Dollars a month. Some time down the line, malnourishment is down to 10%. Unemployment and crime are plunging.

This is the perfect model for aid delivery in India. What more, it is populist too! Imagine a government promising 1000 rupees a month instead of stupid schemes like Rs. 2 rice that are ravaged by corruption and middlemen. Popular, more efficient and ultimately better.

Why does it work? Because the general consensus is that "Africa's poor need to be educated first before they can be given the right of self-determination, and that they should be given food vouchers and wells, but no responsibility."

And the general consensus is horribly wrong.

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