An interesting social experiment

According to this article, Michael Bloomberg, using private funds, wants to pay the poor to develop good habits. Interesting concept. Money is a strong motivator to do all sorts of things, both good and bad, so maybe he's on to something. Plus, similar programs have been successful in Latin America.


Nonetheless, I'm still a bit dubious about the idea. I grew up in a home where our income probably put us below the poverty line, i.e. we were poor. Nonetheless, my mother, a widow with two young children, did most of the things Bloomberg's program would pay people to do. She worked; she attended school conferences; she sent my brother and me to school every day, etc. She did it because that's what you're supposed to do; those habits were ingrained in her; they were part of her constitution. And her story was not unique.


The question is whether adults can develop good habits that are self-sustaining. I'd be interested in knowing what the Latin American programs show on the lasting effect of such programs. Do those individuals maintain the habits only while they're being paid, or does this behavior modification have lasting effects.


I guess we'll see.