A good idea from Mr Bolger

Former PM Jim Bolger has suggested NZ trial a scheme launched by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The Bloomberg scheme provides financial incentives for poor families with regards to their children. Such as:

* US$25 ($35) if their children have perfect school attendance
* US$50 ($69) if they keep a doctor’s appointment
* $300 ($415) if their children score highly in state tests

Families can earn up to US$5000 ($6900) a year.

In some ways it is a pretty crude scheme, and can even be seen as insulting. But on the other hand there is a cycle of poverty, of failed education, of poor health that needs to be cracked or we have more Kahui families.

What Bloomberg has done is a trial of 2,500 families and a control group of another 2,500. That seems a very good way to proceed. Judge it off its results.