Algorithm helps find world’s poorest people to send them cash directly
GiveDirectly and UC Berkeley designed an algorithm that uses AI to identify the poorest individuals in the poorest areas in order to provide them with cash relief.
Poverty alleviation
Nebraska voters say ‘no more’ to 404% interest rates on payday loans
A 400% interest rate on small-dollar loans is the average across the States. Now that 83% of Nebraska’s voters have approved Initiative 428, that won’t be the case in this Midwestern state: Payday lending interest rates will soon be capped at 36%.
City of Austin votes to spend $7 billion to revolutionize transportation
Austin’s new transit plan will build a new rail system with 31 stations, four rapid bus routes, new on-demand shuttles to take people to transit stations, and new park-and-ride stations. The city will also reserve $300 million to ensure that residents aren’t displaced from their homes as a result of gentrification.
Florida votes to increase outdated minimum wage to $15
Voters in Florida tossed their outdated $8.56 per hour minimum wage in this election as the state became the eighth in the country to adopt a $15 minimum wage. Like many other states, Florida will introduce the raise slowly, upping it to $10 next year and raising it by $1 each year until it reaches $15 in 2026.
Compton to launch America’s biggest guaranteed income program
Following in Stockton’s footsteps, the city of Compton, California, has launched its own basic income program called the Compton Pledge that will aim to assist 800 people through no-strings-attached direct cash payments over two years.
New Jersey passes bill to protect poor communities from pollution
The New Jersey Law will require the state’s Department of Environmental Protection to deny permit applications for a new project if it determines it will have a disproportionate impact on a certain community already facing environmental or health stressors.
Germany is beginning a universal-basic-income trial with people getting $1,400 a month for 3 years
120 volunteers will get monthly payments of €1,200, or about $1,400, as part of a study testing a universal basic income.
The study will compare the experiences of the 120 volunteers with 1,380 people who do not receive the payments.
Philadelphia to provide free internet for 35,000 low-income families
Philadelphia will provide free internet access for 35,000 low-income families. Some households will be wired for free broadband access via Comcast’s Internet Essentials program and other families will receive service from no-charge wireless hot spots purchased by the city from T-Mobile.
Pittsburgh launches ‘guaranteed income’ program with Jack Dorsey donation
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto announced that his city is now joining 15 other American cities in a program receiving funding from Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, in which eligible residents will receive $500 in monthly “guaranteed income.”
The money used to start the program will come from funds Dorsey gave that is allowing Pittsburgh and 15 other cities to help those who are struggling during the economic crisis brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.
SolarTaxi’s electric motorcycles charge up Ghana’s on-demand delivery market
SolarTaxi offers all-electric bikes in Ghana under several models that help lower the traditional barriers to entry and helps accelerate adoption. These include a work and pay model and a rental service.