Namibia's BIG experiment

The Millenium Villages (spread across a number of African countries) and the Katine Project in Uganda grab the headlines, analysis and reviews when it comes to debating the success of village or community level development interventions. But the outcome of a similar sort of experiment in Namibia is less well known. It pits (enthusiastic) civil society advocates of a Basic Income Grant against (cautious) researchers at Nepru, one of the most respected economic and development institutes in Namibia. At issue is just how much the BIG intervention can claim in terms of changing people's lives in the town of Otjivero. The debate is playing itself out in the Namibian press but a new article in IRIN should draw more African and international attention to the process. The debate is far from over. The experiment should be more widely watched, especially in South Africa where a vocal BIG lobby exists. An easy way to follow the press debates in Namibia is to use "Nepru, BIG" as google news search key words!