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Back to To the Point

To the Point

Will the 'Nanny State' Be Replaced by the 'Daddy State?'

Welfare reform was designed to put poor people to work, but it has not ended what's called "the culture of poverty," handed down through generations.

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By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

Welfare reform was designed to put poor people to work, but it has not ended what's called "the culture of poverty," handed down through generations. In rural Mexico, mothers from five million of the poorest families are getting cash grants from the government, but only if their kids stay in school, if parents and children get regular medical checkups and if the mothers attend workshops to learn what it takes to stay healthy. The poverty rate has dropped so much that the Oportunidades program is being adopted in 30 other countries. There's even a pilot project in New York City. There's much debate over the causes of poverty, but if this form of tough love helps end it, who cares?

  • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

    Warren Olney

    former KCRW broadcaster

  • Sonya Geis with wavy brown hair wearing a black dress with red accents and decorative earrings against a white background.

    Sonya Geis

    Senior Managing Editor

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    Karen Radziner

    Managing Producer, To the Point & Which Way LA?

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    Tina Rosenberg

    freelance journalist

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    Santiago Levy

    former official, Mexico's Ministry of Finance and Public Credit

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    Susan Parker

    Associate Professor of Economics, Center for Research and Teaching in Economics

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