NEW YORK — An experimental anti-poverty program that pays the poor for maintaining good habits — $25 to $150 for things such as going to the dentist, staying on the job or opening a bank account — has not been exactly life- changing.
The cash incentives, funded with private donations, have helped some New Yorkers make better choices. But the program has not encouraged young people to do better in school or adults to keep a job. And Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the incentives are not the answer to eradicating poverty.
The program “doesn’t work in every case,” Bloomberg said. “You always hope that you’ve come across a magic silver bullet, and you never do. You make progress incrementally, particularly when you’re trying to focus on some of society’s biggest problems.”
The first analysis of New York’s effort was released Tuesday by a nonprofit social policy research group called MDRC, which also helped design the program.
Researchers are also tracking a control group of another 2,400 families who do not receive payments.
The city’s program began in 2007 and has bestowed a total of $14 million on 2,400 families.
Payments will conclude in August, and the study will continue for several more years to evaluate the lasting results for participants.
