Are there currently (or in the last decade or so, lets say) any countries or development efforts that have large “public work” projects running that are purposefully geared to temporarily reducing unemployment? I don’t mean projects that are perhaps serving that purpose in the sense that they seem to otherwise do nothing else (i.e., patronage projects or a large military that never gets used), but I guess I would be open to those fitting the bill. (I realize that large public works projects may not be supported by this or that economic theory or research as “good” policy, just wondering if any state still supports them or studies them.)
India has a huge public works program that sounds like what you’re looking for. In theory, anyone can go to the appropriate gov’t office and be guaranteed so many months work a year shoveling irrigation ditches and the like.
Thanks. It’s funny both examples are in India. I recalled they had such programs decades ago but didn’t know they still did.
In some countries, the issue of how to get people paid could arise. Is there an extensive banking system in rural India that allows for easy and safe government transfer payments?
Er… they’re actually the same program, so it’s not surprising that they’re both in India.
Rural banking in India is patchy at best, but improving rapidly. Wage payments under the NREGS are being made through banks to try and reduce corruption, which has been the major problem with schemes like this in the past. Cash payments have been recently stopped.
