Čudežno zdravilo proti revščini?

Nekatere latinskoameriške države se zadnja leta zelo uspešno bojujejo z revščino in izboljšujejo življenjski standard svojih državljanov. Kot poroča članek v New York Timesu z naslovom To Beat Back Poverty, Pay the Poor, se v Braziliji presenetljivo dobro zmanjšuje nekoč velik razkorak med bogatimi in revnimi:
Brazil’s level of economic inequality is dropping at a faster rate than that of almost any other country. Between 2003 and 2009, the income of poor Brazilians has grown seven times as much as the income of rich Brazilians. Poverty has fallen during that time from 22 percent of the population to 7 percent. Contrast this with the United States, where from 1980 to 2005, more than four-fifths of the increase in Americans’ income went to the top 1 percent of earners.
Ključno pri tem je, da uspehi v boju z revščino izvirajo bolj ali manj iz enega samega novega socialnega programa. V Braziliji se ta izjemno uspešna strategija pomoči revnim imenuje Bolsa Familia, v Mehiki Oportunidades, v angleščini pa so jo opisno poimenovali conditional cash transfer (pogojna socialna pomoč). 

Ideja je preprosta: revne družine, ki jih praviloma predstavlja mati, prejemajo socialno pomoč v gotovini ali z nakazili na bančni račun, če redno izpolnjujejo določene pogoje. V Braziliji morajo otroci obiskovati šolo in hoditi na zdravniške preglede, matere pa na gospodinjske tečaje, kjer jih seznanjajo z zdravo prehrano in vzdrževanjem higiene. Pogoje običajno prilagodijo lokalnim potrebam kot so cepljenja in podobno.

Glede na izjemen uspeh programa pomoči, ki ne nagrajujejo pasivnosti ampak nasprotno vzpodbuja in celo zahteva aktivnost udeležencev, ga avtorica članka že označuje kot najpomembnejši program boja proti revščini, ki so ga kdajkoli iznašli ("This is likely the most important government antipoverty program the world has ever seen.").

V Braziliji in Mehiki, ki sta prvi začeli s programom, je ta sedaj že zelo razširjen:
In Mexico, Oportunidades today covers 5.8 million families, about 30 percent of the population. An Oportunidades family with a child in primary school and a child in middle school that meets all its responsibilities can get a total of about $123 a month in grants. Students can also get money for school supplies, and children who finish high school in a timely fashion get a one-time payment of $330.
Bolsa Familia ... now covers about 50 million Brazilians, about a quarter of the country. It pays a monthly stipend of about $13 to poor families for each child 15 or younger who is attending school, up to three children. Families can get additional payments of $19 a month for each child of 16 or 17 still in school, up to two children. Families that live in extreme poverty get a basic benefit of about $40, with no conditions.
Rezultati po nekaj letih so zelo vzpodbudni:
In Mexico today, malnutrition, anemia and stunting have dropped, as have incidences of childhood and adult illnesses. Maternal and infant deaths have been reduced. Contraceptive use in rural areas has risen and teen pregnancy has declined. But the most dramatic effects are visible in education. Children in Oportunidades repeat fewer grades and stay in school longer. Child labor has dropped. In rural areas, the percentage of children entering middle school has risen 42 percent. High school inscription in rural areas has risen by a whopping 85 percent. The strongest effects on education are found in families where the mothers have the lowest schooling levels. Indigenous Mexicans have particularly benefited, staying in school longer.
Bolsa Familia is having a similar impact in Brazil. One recent study found that it increases school attendance and advancement — particularly in the northeast, the region of Brazil where school attendance is lowest, and particularly for older girls, who are at greatest risk of dropping out. The study also found that Bolsa has improved child weight, vaccination rates and use of pre-natal care.

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