A new programme in niger has seen people better off financially and psychologically. The group that receives everything performs the best, but the group that received psycho social interventions alone also did pretty well. If you look at it from a purely cost benefit perspective, that one is probably the most efficient intervention. And this isn't new as well, this has been seen before and in other studies.
00:38 The science of studying inequality
We discuss the research looking to understand the root causes and symptoms of inequalities, how they are growing, and how a cross-disciplinary approach may be the key to tackling them.
07:26 The randomised trials helping to alleviate poverty
For decades, researchers have been running randomised trials to assess different strategies to lift people out of poverty. Many of these trials centre on providing people with cash grants – we hear how these trials have fared, efforts to improve on them, and the difficulties of scaling them up.
21:23 Why breast cancers metastasize differently at different times of day
A team of researchers have found that breast cancer tumours are more likely to metastasize while people are asleep. By studying mice, the team suggest that hormone levels that fluctuate during the day play a key role, a finding they hope will change how cancer is monitored and treated.
A comment article in Nature argues that one of the most pernicious types of inequality is inequality of opportunity – based on characteristics over which people have no control. We discuss some of the data behind this and what can be done about it.