Show them the money

Cash transfer programmes are the sexy new gadget in the poverty reduction toolbox. They're spreading so quickly partly because a lot of evidence shows that they work, and also because as gadgets go they're pretty damn easy to operate - the government just hands over money to the poor. Well, it's almost that simple - some of the most successful programmes are conditional, so people get given their money in return for the fulfillment of some sort of socially desirable goal; commonly, a child's school attendance.

The Economist ran a feature on CCTPs last issue [thanks ST for alerting me]; read the leader here and the Brazil case-study here. Incidentally, the UN independent expert on human rights and extreme poverty, who also happens to be research director at my new workplace, has been focusing on CTPs too; the website for her mandate has some interesting resources, including detailed information submitted by various countries regarding their own CTPs.