Should
government money be used to revitalise poor neighborhoods with projects like
this one? What do you think about
government food assistance to poor people, which seems to be a part of the
market’s success? Is having teens work
on the market a good way to prevent crime?
Why isn’t the market more popular with locals?
ReplyDeletePeople cannot choose when and where they are born. Naturally, they are coming from many backgrounds and various cultures. Growing up in a poor neighborhood, such as Parramore, undoubtedly has impacts on one's personality development. Therefore, it is important to introduce projects that try to revitalize poor neighborhoods.
In my opinion, the Kidz Zone program definitely accomplished one of its main objectives. By educating youth and showing them different ways of life, teenagers now can see the world from a whole new perspective. As mentioned in the article, the juvenile arrests in Parramore dropped 61 percent and teen births declined 56 percent. That is a significant number any statistician would be pleased to see. It also proves how little sometimes is needed in order to change the destiny of a majority of the generation.
Moreover, the Kidz Zone also helped to improve the functionality of the local farmer's market. As it was emphasized, Parramore market needed a total reboot. One of the novelties was the employment of youth. Teenagers learn about business and to be responsible. What is more, the importance of eating healthy food is accentuated. More people are shopping in the market and therefore it makes higher profits.
(Anna)
@Anna, I totally agree with you. The local government did a good decision by funding makeover of the local farmer market. Nevertheless, the local residents are not very willing to make purchases at this market. This could be due to the overall expensiveness of the offered goods. It should be noted that single farmers do not enjoy the same economies of scale a food store chain does. This means that the costs of the farmers are higher than the costs of the store chain. I agree that there are multiple benefits of the Kidz Zone, but it is probable that the positive externalities of production are existing despite the government funding, what causes lowered interests of the local residents (who seem to be very price sensitive, as most of them have low income). In other words, the idea is great, but it is possible to guess that some kind of subsidy is needed to encourage local buyers to continue using the market.
ReplyDelete(Adam)