In the short term, giving people money makes them less poor, but in the long term, it may not be so effective.
The long term discussed in that article is multiple generations, and there's still evidence there that wealth does transfer to children and further (e.g. the Swedish doctors). It has little to say about the relative efficacy of social programs vs. direct cash grants in alleviating poverty today.
Another month, another rationality quotes thread. The rules are: