Forlorn Footwear

While giving poor Ecuadoreans free shoes made the recipients happier and did not harm the existing shoe retail industry, it did nothing else. It didn’t decrease shoelessness or increase shoe ownership, since older shoes were tossed, nor did it boost general health, foot health or self-esteem. It did, however, boost by 13 percentage points the number of children who agreed that “others should provide for the needs of my family”.