More Money Was Supposed to Help Poor Kids. So Why Didn’t It?

更多的金钱本应帮助贫困儿童,那么为何没有呢?

The Daily

2025-08-06

24 分钟
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For many, the logic seemed unassailable: Giving poor families money would measurably improve the lives of their children. And so a few years ago, social scientists set out to test whether that assumption was right. The results of the experiment have shocked them. Guest: Jason DeParle, a Times reporter who covers poverty in the United States. Background reading:  A rigorous experiment appears to show that monthly checks intended to help disadvantaged children did little for their well-being.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  Photo: Andrew Seng for The New York Times Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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  • From The New York Times, I'm Natalie Kittroff.

  • This is The Daily.

  • For many, the logic seemed unassailable.

  • Giving poor families money would measurably improve the lives of their children.

  • And so, a few years ago, social scientists set out to test whether that assumption was right.

  • But the results of that test have shocked them.

  • Today,

  • my colleague Jason DeParle on how a groundbreaking experiment has undercut deeply held assumptions about how to end the cycle of childhood poverty.

  • It's Wednesday, August 6th.

  • Jason, you've been reporting on poverty and the efforts to address it for... decades.

  • You've written books on the subject.

  • So tell me about this study that has really shaken the policy world that you cover.

  • It's long been clear that children in affluent families do better than their low-income peers on measures of cognitive development and behavior.