No Strings Attached with GiveDirectly

GiveDirectly
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No Strings Attached with GiveDirectly pulls back the curtain on the conversations shaping our work and why we believe in giving people money, no strings attached. Each episode pairs evidence with lived experience, giving you an unfiltered look at how we think about impact, program design, the people we serve, and everything in between.

Episodes

  1. Trump accounts, baby bonds, and more: Reflections on cash for U.S. families

    20/12/2025

    Trump accounts, baby bonds, and more: Reflections on cash for U.S. families

    In February, Susan and Michael Dell made headlines for donating $6.25 billion to a new federal initiative creating savings accounts for children, known as Trump Accounts. It’s one of the largest charitable gifts in U.S. history and a rare example of private funding backing a public cash policy. But will they work? And how do they compare to baby bonuses—cash given directly to parents when a child is born? In this episode of No Strings Attached, GiveDirectly’s U.S. Country Director Dustin Palmer joins policy writer Leah Libresco Sargeant and moderator Jeremy Ney (American Inequality) to unpack what this moment means. They explore: Why timing matters: cash for moms at birth vs. cash for young adults What the evidence shows from programs like RxKidsHow to weigh tradeoffs and design choices as cash policy evolves in the U.S.This is a recording of a live panel hosted by American Inequality. Learn more about GiveDirectly's programs giving cash to moms in Michigan: https://www.givedirectly.org/flintstudy2025/

    53 min
  2. Early reflections on giving money to moms & babies

    20/12/2025

    Early reflections on giving money to moms & babies

    In August, The New York Times ran the headline: A New Way to Reduce Child Deaths: Cash. The story covered new research from a large randomized study of GiveDirectly’s cash transfer program in Kenya, finding that giving money to families, no strings attached, led to a 48% drop in child deaths. In this episode of No Strings Attached, host Tyler G. Hall speaks with Caitlin Tulloch (Head of Research) and Caroline Teti (Head of Human-Centered Design) about how those findings are reshaping our approach to maternal and infant health. They unpack what the study found and how we’re applying it to our new pilot for pregnant women in Kenya. They also address questions we’ve heard from supporters, like whether giving moms money could unintentionally encourage pregnancy, how the program stacks up on cost-effectiveness, and whether it still aligns with GiveDirectly’s model of unconditional support. Learn more at givedirectly.org/mortality2025

    22 min
  3. Inside GiveDirectly's Hurricane Melissa Response

    16/12/2025

    Inside GiveDirectly's Hurricane Melissa Response

    GiveDirectly’s Leith Baker and Camille Raguin take you behind the scenes of our rapid response to Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica. They share what worked, what didn’t, and how lessons from this response can help us act faster and better in future crises, across all our programs. You’ll also hear stories from recipients like Desilee and Ivorie, who used their funds to recover on their own terms. See more at givedirectly.org/jamaica. Planning a visit to Jamaica? You can book a stay in the Bluefields Villas, whose team supported the emergency effort, at bluefieldsvillas.com To help us be ready before the next crisis hits, you can donate to our humanitarian fund at givedirectly.org/relief

    26 min
  4. Why cash doesn't cause inflation: "Slack" with Dennis Egger, PhD

    27/11/2025

    Why cash doesn't cause inflation: "Slack" with Dennis Egger, PhD

    Oxford Professor Dr. Dennis Egger presents economic "slack" as the reason that a large influx of cash in a rural Kenyan economy didn't cause inflation. The idea is that before cash arrived, many businesses were operating at only about 60% of their potential output (e.g., a grain miller who only runs his machine half the day because he has few customers). When cash led to more customers, they could easily grow by staying open longer, hiring staff, and making better use of their existing resources, instead of raising prices. Read more on our blog at givedirectly.org/multiplier This was originally recorded September 24, 2025 as part of internal brown bag with GiveDirectly staff.

    1h 2m
  5. 2,500 years of cash with Ugo Gentilini, PhD

    26/11/2025

    2,500 years of cash with Ugo Gentilini, PhD

    World Bank economist Ugo Gentilini shares more about the long history of giving people money, no-strings attached, previewing his new book, Timely Cash: Lessons from 2500 Years of Giving People Money. This was originally an internal discussion held with GiveDirectly, recorded on October 24, 2025.

    1h 4m
  • 5 Episodes

About

No Strings Attached with GiveDirectly pulls back the curtain on the conversations shaping our work and why we believe in giving people money, no strings attached. Each episode pairs evidence with lived experience, giving you an unfiltered look at how we think about impact, program design, the people we serve, and everything in between.

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