Two lead economists for the World Bank called for an updated online version of a legendary government program from America’s Great Depression during the 1930s — public works programs — as a companion to widespread calls for quarantining:
What is missing in such mandatory “stick” approaches is the more active use of “carrot” incentives that could both encourage self-isolation and help prepare a workforce to bounce back in the recovery phase…. [W]e propose that governments subsidize a set of activities that could be done from home. This would further induce self-isolation, reduce the need for quarantine enforcement, and encourage some to learn new skills that could be useful after the pandemic is over.
It could also provide effective, self-targeted social assistance to young people who have lost their jobs due to quarantines and lockdowns. Several categories of activities satisfy these criteria: data labeling, document digitization, and virtual services.
Long-time Slashdot reader sixoh1 quips it could be a kind of “Mechanical Turk for all,” but adds, “One idea that struck me was converting documents to display online.”
The two World Bank economists also suggest that governments subsidize online courses — and maybe even streaming services. In these times of social distancing, “There is actually a public-good component in these privately-provided services…”
of this story at Slashdot.
Source:: Slashdot