當(dāng)你把錢給那些需要的人，你是在推動整個社區(qū)

當(dāng)你把錢給那些需要的人，你是在推動整個社區(qū)

On the surface, it seems simple: When you give cash to someone in need, that person or family benefits the most. But a new study finds the true impact is much broader. When poor families receive financial aid, they also lift up the communities around them.

從表面上看，這似乎很簡單:當(dāng)你把錢給需要的人，那個人或家庭受益最大。但一項新的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，真正的影響要廣泛得多。當(dāng)貧困家庭獲得經(jīng)濟援助時，他們也提升了他們周圍的社區(qū)。

When people were given cash in Kenyan households, they were able to spread the wealth to others in the community. (Photo: GiveDirectly)

Researchers teamed up with the charity GiveDirectly, which has been delivering cash since 2009 straight to poor residents of African countries. The group has given more than $140 million to impoverished families in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Liberia, Malawi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Morocco.

研究人員與慈善機構(gòu)GiveDirectly合作，該機構(gòu)自2009年起就直接向非洲國家的貧困居民發(fā)放現(xiàn)金。該組織已經(jīng)向肯尼亞、烏干達、盧旺達、利比里亞、馬拉維、剛果民主共和國和摩洛哥的貧困家庭捐贈了超過1.4億美元。

Until now, research has focused on the impact of cash aid directly on the people who receive it. But this time, researchers looked at the ripple effect such a financial infusion had on the wider community.

到目前為止，研究主要集中在現(xiàn)金援助對接受者的直接影響上。但這一次，研究人員考察了這種資金注入對更廣泛的社區(qū)產(chǎn)生的漣漪效應(yīng)。

Researchers followed 10,500 households across 328 villages in Siaya, Kenya, each of which received about $1,000 in cash. That was the equivalent to about 15% of the local gross domestic product (GDP) or total local income for the area. That much money didn't just affect the households, it ended up affecting the communities, the researchers found.

研究人員對肯尼亞Siaya的328個村莊的10500個家庭進行了跟蹤調(diào)查，每個家庭都收到了1000美元的現(xiàn)金。這相當(dāng)于該地區(qū)本地生產(chǎn)總值(GDP)或本地總收入的15%。研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，這么多錢不僅影響了家庭，最終還影響了社區(qū)。

Of course, the families used the cash to buy food and other necessities. And by doing so, the money had a domino effect, spreading out into the community.

當(dāng)然，這些家庭用這些錢買了食物和其他必需品。通過這樣做，錢產(chǎn)生了多米諾骨牌效應(yīng)，擴散到社區(qū)。

"That money goes to local businesses," study co-author Edward Miguel, an economist at the University of California, Berkeley, tells NPR. "They sell more. They generate more revenue. And then eventually that gets passed on into labor earnings for their workers."

“這些錢流向了當(dāng)?shù)仄髽I(yè)，”研究報告的作者之一、加州大學(xué)伯克利分校的經(jīng)濟學(xué)家愛德華·米格爾告訴美國國家公共電臺(NPR)。“他們銷售更多。他們創(chuàng)造了更多的收入。最終，這些錢會轉(zhuǎn)化為工人的勞動收入。”

The greater value of a dollar

美元的更大價值

For every dollar GiveDirectly gave to a household, it had an economic impact of more than double that amount in the community. (Photo: GiveDirectly)

The researchers estimated that every dollar in cash aid increased economic activity by about $2.60 in the community.

研究人員估計，每一美元的現(xiàn)金援助增加了社區(qū)經(jīng)濟活動約2.6美元。

"We find large impacts on consumption and assets for recipients. Importantly, we document large positive spillovers on non-recipient households and firms, and minimal price inflation. We estimate a local fiscal multiplier of 2.6. We interpret welfare implications through the lens of a simple household optimization framework," the researchers write in their findings.

“我們發(fā)現(xiàn)，這對接受者的消費和資產(chǎn)有很大影響。重要的是，我們記錄了對非受惠者家庭和公司的巨大積極溢出效應(yīng)，以及最低的價格通脹。我們估計地方財政乘數(shù)為2.6。我們通過一個簡單的家庭優(yōu)化框架來解釋福利的含義。

And researchers found that, despite some concerns, there were few effects from inflation. Local shopkeepers didn't have to hire more workers because of the new influx of cash so they didn't have to increase prices to cover any new salaries. Also, there were reportedly no problems with jealousy from those in the community who didn't receive money, possibly because so many people benefited when neighbors received newfound funds.

研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，盡管存在一些擔(dān)憂，但通脹的影響微乎其微。由于新的現(xiàn)金流入，當(dāng)?shù)氐牡曛鞑槐毓蛡蚋嗟墓と?，所以他們不必提高價格來支付新的工資。此外，據(jù)報道，沒有收到錢的人也沒有嫉妒的問題，可能是因為很多人從鄰居得到的新資金中受益。

This is just one of more than 165 studies on the effects of cash transfers, GiveDirectly points out. Research has found that an influx of cash lowers poverty, increases school attendance, improves health and overall well-being including empowerment and self-sufficiency. This is the first study, researchers say, that shows giving money can benefit more than just the recipients, with a ripple effect that benefits other community members in need.

GiveDirectly指出，這只是165個關(guān)于現(xiàn)金轉(zhuǎn)移影響的研究之一。研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，現(xiàn)金的流入降低了貧困，提高了入學(xué)率，改善了健康和整體福祉，包括賦權(quán)和自給自足。研究人員說，這是第一次有研究表明，捐錢不僅能讓接受者受益，還會產(chǎn)生連鎖反應(yīng)，讓其他有需要的社區(qū)成員受益。