Questioning a Popular Approach to Lasting Development

Questioning a Popular Approach to Lasting Development
Economists at M.I.T.’s Jameel Poverty Action Lab have found no evidence that paying for a product in the developing world changes how people use it. Transcript of radio broadcast:
02 March 2008

This is the VOA Special English Development Report.

If you give something to someone for free, will that person value it and use it? Development experts have debated this question for decades. Some say the act of paying causes people to value something and use it more. Others argue that selling necessary health treatments may deny them to the people who need them the most.

Consider, for example, chemically treated bed nets. These bed nets kill mosquitoes and protect people against malaria while they are sleeping. New York University economist William Easterly says this is one example of development gone wrong. In a recent book, Professor Easterly suggests bed nets given freely in Africa are often used for the wrong purpose.

Yet, the World Health Organization recommends bed nets be given out freely and used by whole communities. The success of a large free bed net campaign in Kenya led the W.H.O. to announce this recommendation last August.

This debate will likely influence social programs in the developing world. Many non-governmental organizations support the creation of self-sustaining programs in poor countries. Goods and services are sold for a price to help these programs survive.

Rachel Glennerster runs the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The research lab does development and poverty studies. Its goal is to improve the effectiveness of anti-poverty programs in the United States and other countries.

Miz Glennerster tells us that several studies by the research group's economists have proven that small price changes have a big influence on the number of people who use a product. A price change will reduce the total amount of use of the product as well, she says. The economists have also found no evidence that the very act of paying for something changes how people use it.

Finally, some development experts argue that pricing is useful when targeting a product among special populations. When it comes to bed nets, Miz Glennerster says research shows no evidence of this. People are just as likely to use a bed net if they paid for it or not.

And that’s the VOA Special English Development Report, written by Jill Moss. You can find transcripts, MP3s and podcasts of our reports at our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com.

----------------------------Google Translate

质疑流行的做法，以持久的发展
经济学家在麻省理工学院的贾米尔扶贫行动实验室都没有发现任何证据表明付出的一种产品，在发展中世界的变化，人们如何使用它。全文电台广播：
2008年3月2日

这是美国之音特别英语的发展报告。

如果你的东西有人为自由，将人的价值，它和使用它吗？发展专家辩论过这个问题，几十年来。有人说今天的行为付出导致人们对其价值的东西，并使用它。其他人则认为，出售必要的保健治疗，可以拒绝他们到需要的人最多。

考虑，例如，经过化学处理过的蚊帐。这些蚊帐杀死蚊子和保护人们不受疟疾，而他们都在睡大觉。纽约大学经济学家威廉偏东说这是一个例子发展的乱子。在最近的一本书，教授偏东提示蚊帐给自由地在非洲常常被用于错误的用途。

然而，世界卫生组织建议，蚊帐获得了自由和使用的整个社区。成功的一个大的自由床帐运动在肯尼亚领导者公布这项建议在去年8月。

这次辩论将可能影响社会的节目在发展中世界。许多非政府组织支持建立自我维持的节目，在贫穷国家。商品和服务的出售为代价来帮助这些节目的生存空间。

雷切尔格伦纳斯特运行阿卜杜勒拉提夫贾米尔扶贫行动实验室在麻省理工学院的技术。该研究实验室是否发展和消除贫困的研究。其目的就是为了改善其效力的反贫困行动，在美国和其他国家。

miz格伦纳斯特告诉我们，数项研究是由研究小组的经济学家已经证明，以小的代价变化，有一个很大的影响，对多的人使用一个产品。价格变化将减少总额为使用该产品的同时，她说。经济学家们还发现，没有证据表明非常行为付出一些变化，人们如何使用它。

最后，一些发展专家认为，价格是有用的时候，针对一个产品之间的特殊群体。当谈到蚊帐， miz格伦纳斯特说，研究表明，没有证据证明这一点。人们只是作为可能使用蚊帐，如果他们支付还是不干。

这也是该美国之音特别英语发展报告撰写的吉尔苔。您可以在这里找到誊本， MP3和播客我们的报告在我们的网站， voaspecialenglish.com