"Free shit" isn't a bad idea, in terms of incentivizing actions. If done properly, the reward is directly related to the incentivized action, meaning fewer people will take advantage of it.
In example, in Singapore a few years back, birth rates were rather low, and so the government put up a reward: If you have a child, you will be given a crib filled with diapers. Didn't look like a bad crib by the pictures of it, either, but those can be surprisingly expensive, so it's a load off the mind of people attempting.
No one will purposefully have a kid just to get some diapers and a crib, but people on the fence but sincere in their desire might choose to, knowing a time window of a clear benefit exists. Or, it could put it into their mind as a possibility, when that possibility didn't exist prior: marketing. It makes a lot more sense than "just fuck up the tax code some more" or "throw money at them".
"Free shit" isn't a bad idea, in terms of incentivizing actions. If done properly, the reward is directly related to the incentivized action, meaning fewer people will take advantage of it.
In example, in Singapore a few years back, birth rates were rather low, and so the government put up a reward: If you have a child, you will be given a crib filled with diapers. Didn't look like a bad crib by the pictures of it, either, but those can be surprisingly expensive, so it's a load off the mind of people attempting.
No one will purposefully have a kid just to get some diapers and a crib, but people on the fence but sincere in their desire might choose to, knowing a time window of a clear benefit exists. Or, it could put it into their mind as a possibility, when that possibility didn't exist prior: marketing. It makes a lot more sense than "just fuck up the tax code some more" or "throw money at them".
This is where ration books actually worked. Until theyre used as currency.