A $200 million project in Malawi, one of the world’s poorest countries, is testing a radically simple approach to aid: giving about $700 directly to as many as 230,000 adults and letting them decide how best to spend it.

The hope is that recipients will use the money to start businesses, invest in farms and generate economic activity, providing evidence that direct cash payments can help communities become more self-reliant and reduce their dependence on aid.

On this week’s Next Africa podcast, Bloomberg’s Antony Sguazzin discusses what he found when he visited the project in Malawi, how researchers will determine whether it’s working, and whether similar programs could be replicated in other impoverished countries.

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