Science Fictions Episode 10: Cash transfers
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Sep 12, 2023 The podcast explores cash transfers as a means to improve people's lives. It discusses the evidence supporting cash transfers, concerns about misuse of funds, and the lack of evidence on long-term effects. The hosts also touch on subgroup analysis, pre-registration, technical language in neuroscience research, AI consciousness, and a Canadian study on homelessness inspired by cash transfers in developing countries.
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Maximize Good Per Dollar
- Effective altruism focuses on maximizing the good done per dollar by comparing interventions rigorously.
- Simple comparisons (e.g., cataract surgery vs guide dogs) show money can have vastly different impacts.
Why GiveDirectly Is Popular
- GiveWell and similar groups favor cash transfers because they directly increase recipients' wealth and choice.
- GiveDirectly gives large unconditional grants and frames this as a high-impact, low-paternalism intervention.
Cash Transfers Raise Living Standards
- Unconditional cash transfers reliably increase recipients' consumption and food security in short-term studies.
- Conditional transfers add requirements, but both types commonly raise household spending and assets.