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← The case for giving poor people cash is not that it is a cure, but…
17 connected korrents · 15 moments from 18 Aug 2011 to 18 Sept 2026.
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politics Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Read this korrent: The case for giving poor people cash is not that it is a cure, but that it is less bad than most of what aid already does. The case for giving poor people cash is not that it is a cure, but that it is less bad than most of what aid already does. Last stated 13 years ago
27 Jun 2013
CB
Chris Blattman — holds since 2013-06-27 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Some aid programmes will beat cash at solving a specific problem, but few will beat it at simply making poor people less poor. — tap to centre the map on it Some aid programmes will beat cash at solving a specific problem, but few will beat it at simply making poor people less poor. Last stated 13 years ago
14 Mar 2014
CB
Chris Blattman — holds since 2014-03-14 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Aid is not development: transfers can relieve poverty, but the work that actually lifts a country out of it is not work donors do. — tap to centre the map on it Aid is not development: transfers can relieve poverty, but the work that actually lifts a country out of it is not work donors do. Last stated 2 years ago
12 Feb 2025
CB
Chris Blattman — holds since 2013-06-27 — tap for who they are
OK
Oliver Kim — holds since 2025-02-12 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Many aid programmes will beat cash on cost-effectiveness, and the ones that do will be those that fix a market failure or a supply problem. — tap to centre the map on it Many aid programmes will beat cash on cost-effectiveness, and the ones that do will be those that fix a market failure or a supply problem. Last stated 13 years ago
14 Mar 2014
CB
Chris Blattman — holds since 2014-03-14 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Cash helps a poor person whose only obstacle is a lack of capital, and does little for anyone whose obstacle is something else. — tap to centre the map on it Cash helps a poor person whose only obstacle is a lack of capital, and does little for anyone whose obstacle is something else. Last stated 13 years ago
27 Jun 2013
CB
Chris Blattman — holds since 2013-06-27 — tap for who they are
Same subject: When a shock falls hardest on the poor, hand out cash rather than hold the price down. — tap to centre the map on it When a shock falls hardest on the poor, hand out cash rather than hold the price down. Last stated 2 years ago
20 Aug 2024
JC
John H. Cochrane — holds since 2024-08-20 — tap for who they are
Same subject: The climate policy everyone has quietly assumed is that poorer countries stay poor, and that is the wrong answer. — tap to centre the map on it The climate policy everyone has quietly assumed is that poorer countries stay poor, and that is the wrong answer. Last stated 3 years ago
11 Oct 2023
CH
Casey Handmer — holds since 2023-10-11 — tap for who they are
BM
Branko Milanovic — holds since 2017-11-18 — tap for who they are
Same subject: The deeper anyone digs into a charity's cost-effectiveness estimate, the more unwarranted optimism they find, so the right prior on giving is a sceptical one. — tap to centre the map on it The deeper anyone digs into a charity's cost-effectiveness estimate, the more unwarranted optimism they find, so the right prior on giving is a sceptical one. Last stated 15 years ago
18 Aug 2011
HK
Holden Karnofsky — holds since 2011-08-18 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Aid to African states has been large enough to warp their politics and too small to transform their economies. — tap to centre the map on it Aid to African states has been large enough to warp their politics and too small to transform their economies. Last stated 2 years ago
12 Feb 2025
OK
Oliver Kim — holds since 2025-02-12 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A benchmark result should be reported under a stated budget, or as a curve against test-time compute — never as a single number. — tap to centre the map on it A benchmark result should be reported under a stated budget, or as a curve against test-time compute — never as a single number. Last stated 4 months ago
26 Jun 2026
NB
Noam Brown — holds since 2026-06-26 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A benchmark that ranks Claude Code last while it stays first in use is measuring the wrong thing, and has been for a year. — tap to centre the map on it A benchmark that ranks Claude Code last while it stays first in use is measuring the wrong thing, and has been for a year. Last stated 2 months ago
3 Sept 2026
DR
Dax Raad — holds since 2026-09-03 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A carmaker's claim to be the safest is mostly an artefact of comparing a new car against a fleet average twelve years old. — tap to centre the map on it A carmaker's claim to be the safest is mostly an artefact of comparing a new car against a fleet average twelve years old. Last stated 3 years ago
19 Dec 2023
PK
Philip Koopman — holds since 2023-12-19 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Corner allocations under price ceilings are a distinct source of cross-market misallocation, separate from Harberger quantity loss and within-market misallocation. — tap to centre the map on it Corner allocations under price ceilings are a distinct source of cross-market misallocation, separate from Harberger quantity loss and within-market misallocation. Last stated 8 months ago
12 Feb 2026
AT
Alex Tabarrok — holds since 2026-02-12 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Draconian price controls are among the most ruinous economic policies a government can impose. — tap to centre the map on it Draconian price controls are among the most ruinous economic policies a government can impose. Last stated a month ago
18 Sept 2026
SS
Scott Sumner — holds since 2026-09-18 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Dynamic pricing means prices decrease as well as increase. — tap to centre the map on it Dynamic pricing means prices decrease as well as increase. Last stated a month ago
13 Sept 2026
PG
Paul Graham — holds since 2026-09-13 — tap for who they are
Same subject: "Scaling" was powerful because it was one word: naming a research direction is what tells a whole field what to do next. — tap to centre the map on it "Scaling" was powerful because it was one word: naming a research direction is what tells a whole field what to do next. Last stated 11 months ago
25 Nov 2025
IS
Ilya Sutskever — holds since 2025-11-25 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A lab should spend most of its compute on research rather than on building the next model, because research is where the tenfold yearly efficiency gains come from. — tap to centre the map on it A lab should spend most of its compute on research rather than on building the next model, because research is where the tenfold yearly efficiency gains come from. Last stated 7 months ago
13 Mar 2026
DP
Dylan Patel — holds since 2026-03-13 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A model's capability is now a function of how much money you spend on it, so asking what a model can do means nothing until you name a budget. — tap to centre the map on it A model's capability is now a function of how much money you spend on it, so asking what a model can do means nothing until you name a budget. Last stated 4 months ago
26 Jun 2026
NB
Noam Brown — holds since 2026-06-26 — tap for who they are
At the centre
The case for giving poor people cash is not that it is a cure, but that it is less bad than most of what aid already does.
Holds Read this korrent →
Some aid programmes will beat cash at solving a specific problem, but few will beat it at simply making poor people less poor.
Holds
Aid is not development: transfers can relieve poverty, but the work that actually lifts a country out of it is not work donors do.
Holds
Many aid programmes will beat cash on cost-effectiveness, and the ones that do will be those that fix a market failure or a supply problem.
Holds
Cash helps a poor person whose only obstacle is a lack of capital, and does little for anyone whose obstacle is something else.
Holds
When a shock falls hardest on the poor, hand out cash rather than hold the price down.
Holds
The climate policy everyone has quietly assumed is that poorer countries stay poor, and that is the wrong answer.
Holds
The deeper anyone digs into a charity's cost-effectiveness estimate, the more unwarranted optimism they find, so the right prior on giving is a sceptical one.
Holds
Aid to African states has been large enough to warp their politics and too small to transform their economies.
Holds
A benchmark result should be reported under a stated budget, or as a curve against test-time compute — never as a single number.
Holds
A benchmark that ranks Claude Code last while it stays first in use is measuring the wrong thing, and has been for a year.
Holds
A carmaker's claim to be the safest is mostly an artefact of comparing a new car against a fleet average twelve years old.
Holds
Corner allocations under price ceilings are a distinct source of cross-market misallocation, separate from Harberger quantity loss and within-market misallocation.
Holds
Draconian price controls are among the most ruinous economic policies a government can impose.
Holds
Dynamic pricing means prices decrease as well as increase.
Holds
"Scaling" was powerful because it was one word: naming a research direction is what tells a whole field what to do next.
Holds
A lab should spend most of its compute on research rather than on building the next model, because research is where the tenfold yearly efficiency gains come from.
Holds
A model's capability is now a function of how much money you spend on it, so asking what a model can do means nothing until you name a budget.
Holds