City Releases Mixed Results Of Cash Incentives Program

Sketchy Harlem dental clinics aren't the only ones paying low-income New Yorkers to undergo teeth cleanings, the mayor is doing it too! Results are in for Mayor Bloomberg's Family Rewards Program, an effort to promote good habits among poor people by handing out cash. Since the program began two years ago 2,400 families took part receiving a total of $14 million to do responsible things like getting health insurance and attending parent-teacher conferences. There has been some success—10% more families got dental check-ups and others opened bank accounts, instead of immediately cashing checks—but other areas didn't improve enough, and the city will not expand the privately-financed program (which the Post describes as "bribes") into a publicly-financed one.

The education results from the pilot were disappointing: There was no effect on school performance or attendance for young kids, or for older ones who were already performing poorly, reports the AP. One suspicion is that "complicated paper work, deadlines and bureaucratic hassles may have stymied participants from taking full advantage of the program."

Bloomberg admits the pilot program is a work in progress, "If you never fail, I can tell you, you’ve never tried new, innovative things. And I don’t know that this is a failure. I think it is, some things worked, and some things didn’t, and some things the jury’s still out on. And anything new you’re going to have that diversity of results."

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By Sabrina Jaszi in News on March 31, 2010 10:26 AM

Comments [rss]

JenChungsBaby

The Post story says the program paid $600 for each Regents exam passed. I could have made almost $5000 if they had this when I was in high school. Damn.

hotstepper

dear Nanny Bloomberg, you can't pay people to smarten up and live healthy lifestyles. stop wasting our tax dollars.

theevilone

It's privately funded. Reading is fundamental.

hotstepper

so you've never seen the subway spam anti-smoking and disgusting fat-drinking anti-soda ads? or the other nanny state initiatives this little bastard spawned.

okay then.

theevilone

Oh I've seen them, but I'm talking about this article. This was a privately funded initiative.

Anti-smoking campaigns are common place now and do change behavior. Just look at the smoking rates since the ban was instituted.

And that calorie disclosure at chains is such a horrible development that its going to be national. The horror!

hotstepper

hey pal, if you need the government demagogues to tell you how to live that's your thing, get your kicks. i just don't want to pay for the proselytizing. smoking rates go down when the gov't decides to RAISE TAXES them, taxing as coercion...great!

RE: Family Rewards Program. this type of nanny state BS is not happening in a vacuum. and you may have noticed that the program is not going to be publicly-financed ONLY because of it's colossal failure, a.k.a. "diversity of results."