When Communities Identify Their Own Poor, Aid Has The Most Effect

By asking peers to decide who deserves the most government aid--instead of using empirical measurements--money can have more lasting effects. When governments and NGOs plan on giving assistance to the most needy, how do they know who needs the most assistance? It's a question people are at great pains to answer, yet social welfare programs around the world are still plagued by error and abuse. . . Fairness and poverty, as it turns out, are somewhat subjective. There was only a minor difference in accuracy between the two methods, but the researchers found the community approach led to 60% fewer complaints, and far fewer difficulties distributing funds, compared to objective methods in the villages.

Read complete article at --
http://www.fastcompany.com/1776821/let-communities-pick-their-poorest-may-do-best-to-alleviate-poverty-through-aid

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