Summary: Today we will discuss the role that poverty plays in shaping individual economic choices in South and Southeast Asia.
Inquiry Question: How does poverty shape individual economic choices in South and Southeast Asia?
Your position paper should be completed and printed out when you come to class.
Discussion: How does poverty shape individual economic choices in South and Southeast Asia?
Required: Reply to two of your classmates on Flipgrid, agreeing with one and disagreeing with the other.
Optional: Listen to this podcast. Focus on this question as you listen: How do new ideas differ from changes in the capital stock in regard to their effects on economic growth?
Chris Blattman of Columbia University talks to EconTalk host Russ Roberts about a radical approach to fighting poverty in desperately poor countries: giving cash to aid recipients and allowing them to spend it as they please. Blattman shares his research and cautious optimism about giving cash and discusses how infusions of cash affect growth, educational outcomes, and political behavior (including violence). The conversation concludes with a discussion of the limits of aid and the some of the moral issues facing aid activists and researchers.