Paul Niehaus on whether cash transfers cause economic growth, and keeping theft to acceptable levels

Abstract

In today’s episode, host Luisa Rodriguez interviews Paul Niehaus — cofounder of GiveDirectly — on the case for giving unconditional cash to the world’s poorest households. They cover: • The empirical evidence on whether giving cash directly can drive meaningful economic growth • How the impacts of GiveDirectly compare to USAID employment programmes • GiveDirectly vs GiveWell’s top-recommended charities • How long-term guaranteed income affects people’s risk-taking and investments • Whether recipients prefer getting lump sums or monthly instalments • How GiveDirectly tackles cases of fraud and theft • The case for universal basic income, and GiveDirectly’s UBI studies in Kenya, Malawi, and Liberia • The political viability of UBI • Plenty more