This chapter explores the work of Give Directly, a non-profit organization that provides unconditional cash transfers to the extreme poor. It discusses the impact of their approach in both Sub-Saharan Africa and the United States, challenging traditional development programs and emphasizing the importance of individual choice and dignity.
Rory Stewart may be the most interesting person you’ve never heard of. He’s an adventurer, writer, politician, and nonprofit leader. He walked across Afghanistan — alone — in the months after 9/11 and wrote a book about the experience that the New York Times called a “flat-out masterpiece”; he then served as a deputy governor in Iraq, held a chair at Harvard, and was elected to British Parliament. Now he’s out with a new memoir called “How Not to Be a Politician.” It’s a funny, candid, and somewhat shocking chronicle of the decade he spent in office. It’s also a book about why our political system feels so broken and what we can do to repair it.
Host: Caleb Bissinger
Guest: Rory Stewart
• To learn more about GiveDirectly, visit givedirectly.org