Boston Globe: Cash is still king — just ask Jill Shah
By Shirley Leung — August 30, 2023
During the 2020 presidential campaign, Democrat Andrew Yang called for giving every American $1,000 a month, no strings attached.
The money could be used for anything — from paying off debt to paying for school to switching careers. At the time, it felt like a gimmick. The New York entrepreneur didn’t last very long, but his idea lives on in what’s known as guaranteed income.
That’s because the pandemic happened, and the concept of giving cash to poor people took off when nonprofits and municipalities across the country came together to launch pilot programs to help struggling families.