Development aid also undermines democracy in developing countries because the elites focus on pleasing foreign donor organisations, rather than being accountable to their own population.
There is also a tendency of aid to destroy local economic structure, as the local producers can often not compete on price with free aid.
If you look at countries that managed to develop (e.g. South Korea or China in recent years), then they all did it without substantial involvement of foreign aid.
It is interesting to reflect on why development aid is so popular in the developed countries despite its obvious failures. Here are some reasons.
- Development organisations serve as levers of soft power. (If you
give us XYZ, we'll fund your railway/sewage treatment plant/school).
- On-the-ground workers of development organisations are convenient
sources of information and can often be used to supply false IDs for
spies, military operatives and the like.
- Multi-national companies regularly support development aid, because it's
good and cheap PR.
- Aid organisations are lucrative sources of income for their senior
staff in the developed world, and they well-oiled PR machines to
keep the funds flowing, and mute criticisms.
> Development aid also undermines democracy in developing countries because the elites focus on pleasing foreign donor organisations, rather than being accountable to their own population.
Of course, it can be good to undermine democracy, when the majority of the population support e.g. female genital mutilation or burning witches.
There is also a tendency of aid to destroy local economic structure, as the local producers can often not compete on price with free aid.
If you look at countries that managed to develop (e.g. South Korea or China in recent years), then they all did it without substantial involvement of foreign aid.
It is interesting to reflect on why development aid is so popular in the developed countries despite its obvious failures. Here are some reasons.
- Development organisations serve as levers of soft power. (If you give us XYZ, we'll fund your railway/sewage treatment plant/school).
- On-the-ground workers of development organisations are convenient sources of information and can often be used to supply false IDs for spies, military operatives and the like.
- Multi-national companies regularly support development aid, because it's good and cheap PR.
- Aid organisations are lucrative sources of income for their senior staff in the developed world, and they well-oiled PR machines to keep the funds flowing, and mute criticisms.