In a charitable experiment, everyone in a desperately poor part of Namibia gets a “basic income” of $15 each month. No strings attached.
When Lutheran Bishop Zephania Kameeta called everyone together into the middle of the village of Otjivero, none of the residents expected his announcement. Charities would be providing everyone with a monthly income of $15, no strings attached. It is the latest experiment to alleviate poverty. Critics insisted it would be a disaster. But the opposite happened: crime is down, employment is up and both healthcare and the number of students attending school have improved sharply. And some of the biggest gains have been seen by women.