Welfare, by any other name, would smell just as bad...NEW YORK (AP) -- Poor New Yorkers who make healthy choices - such as staying in school and regularly seeing the doctor - should be rewarded with cash to help break the cycle of poverty, Mayor Michael Bloomberg suggested Monday.
The idea, which has seen success in countries including Brazil and Mexico, developed out of an anti-poverty commission's report released Monday. The commission did not specifically propose using rewards but did suggest the city find innovative ways to help its 1.5 million poor lift themselves out of poverty.
The commission, headed by Time Warner's chief executive, Richard Parsons, and the president of the nonprofit group Harlem Children's Zone, Geoffrey Canada, said many New Yorkers are locked in a cycle of poverty in which built-in conditions trap them into failure. For example, those who fall behind on vaccinations and doctor checkups may suffer from poor health and struggle to keep jobs.
Paying modest rewards might help break those patterns, the mayor said.
"We want to reward those who have the initiative to go out and try to make their lives better, and if the system is stacked against them making their lives better, that's what we're trying to change," Bloomberg said.
His deputy mayor for health and human services, Linda Gibbs, served on the anti-poverty commission and will help guide its recommendations into policy. She said the reward details - such as amounts and qualifications - are still being studied. But she said the city is encouraged by the success of similar programs in other countries, where the benefits endure for years because they create behavior patterns.
New York officials say the cash rewards would not come from government funds. Gibbs said the administration wants to privately raise funds, beginning with about $24 million for programs that reward good behavior in education and health care.
In countries such as Mexico and Brazil, there has been widespread praise for World Bank-supported programs that give financial rewards to parents for sending their children to school and regular doctors' visits.
The City Council said Monday it will examine the commission's report and the administration's proposals. One question will be whether the success of those reward programs overseas could be repeated in America's biggest city.
"The idea of saying to people, 'Look, we want to help you do the right thing for yourself and your kids and we're going to incentivize it,' that's very realistic," said Bill de Blasio, chairman of the council's Committee on General Welfare. "I want to see the details, but I like the thinking."