Benchmark
Give a Poor Kid a Shoe to Learn a Lesson About How Aid Works
The World Bank shows why in-kind donations require targetting
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It’s a simple idea to make a positive difference: when someone buys a pair of their shoes, the for-profit company TOMS gives one to an impoverished child. But whether the program actually helps those kids has real implications as aid organizations gauge the usefulness of in-kind donation programs – those that give goods and services rather than cash.
World Bank researchers take a hard look at how TOMS were received among El Salvadorian children in new research, and theirs is the top study in this week’s economic research wrap. We’ve also got an analysis of what large-scale asset purchases work and a take on refugee crisis costs.