Comments on: The universal cynics’ answer to why your aid project won’t work

By: Josh Moore

Josh Moore — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:07:46 +0000

Interesting post – the complexities of aid…I’m not exactly sure how to respond, from reading around your blog, it seems that you are someone with some real down to earth experience in development and aid work. I find the issues you raise to be valid – aid helps people, but it also hurts people, it’s complicated and you can’t just ‘stop aid’ as Moyo suggests. Of course, she kinda does have a point, and so does William Easterly and others – we’ve been giving aid to countries for over 60 years (like Zambia) – they are still in poverty and are dependent on aid (think Ghana). Of course, aid has worked in some places (Botswana, India, and South Korea are the usual examples) but a study the CBO (i would assume you would agree that that’s a credible source – although it is from 97, a bit dated) notes that “Although foreign aid overall appears to have only a marginal effect, it may promote or hinder development, depending on the environment in which that aid is used and the conditions under which it is given.” I question whether or not aid can be given under ‘altruistic conditions’ and question whether more aid (as Bono so aptly thinks is a good thing) is a good thing…If you didn’t like the moyo book because the facts were bad, read Jonathan Glennie “The Trouble with Aid: Why less could mean more for Africa” – he gives a similar argument but from a different standpoint. It was a good read. Ok that’s about it, thanks for a few good laughs!

By: max

max — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 22:53:42 +0000

i loved this- hilarious.

By: Sahara Sarah

Sahara Sarah — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:27:02 +0000

Also, start every single comment/question you make at a speech/event/cocktail hour/etc. with ‘when I was in X country’…because it lends instant authority. I’ve only passed through Kigali airport, but I can still say ‘When I was in Rwanda,I realised that only by addressing governance can aid achieve any meaningful impact…’. If you’ve actually worked in the country, it’s best to go on and on about your own experience until a moderator – on in the case of the cocktail hour, an exasperated drinker – requests you either ask a question of finish the monologue.

By: J.

J. — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:23:18 +0000

Classic. Absolutely classic. Adding you to my blogroll… NOW.

By: From Poverty to Power by Duncan Green » Blog Archive » Aid Satire; Berlusconi’s horrible year; migration in the recession; Bono does climate change (but the US media doesn’t): links I liked

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 09:41:17 +0000

[...] Barder sets out the arguments we will inevitably hear against any aid proposals in [...]

By: Ciaccio

Ciaccio — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 07:59:21 +0000

One small variation on the same theme is “Yep, I’ve tried that in country XYZ some 10 years ago and then in WZX recently and it is not going to work, as there are deep cultural issues involved here, that we as foreigners cannot undertand”

By: Around the blogs 5 Jan « catallaxy files

Around the blogs 5 Jan « catallaxy files — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:58:53 +0000

[...] a comment » A handy “off the rack” critique of proposals for foreign aid, courtesy of Bill Easterly at Aid [...]

By: Sunday Africa Blog Roundup: Umar Abdulmutallab, Gration on Sudan, Obama and Human Rights « Sahel Blog

Sun, 03 Jan 2010 12:02:09 +0000

[...] Owen Barder mocks “universal cynics” in the aid field. [...]

By: Inde Hewan

Inde Hewan — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 05:13:59 +0000

Come on! Biting satire is no fun when it has to be scrubbed clean of anything that could be un-P.C. So Owen, alright now, let’s inhale and say it together, the unscrubbed version of your last point: “although she hasn’t got any proof she is both a woman — and Black African — and hot!” (but do correct me if the last bullet wouldn’t have worked if she were from Cameroon or Uganda instead of Zambia…)

By: Alex

Alex — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 00:06:36 +0000

Cracking. (More in my series “Blogs I Forgot Were Back” to come…)

By: Sergio

Sergio — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 14:51:19 +0000

“Only when America proves that capitalism can cure social ills within its own borders should it start looking to prove so abroad” (Regina Tavani)

By: D Shea

D Shea — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 15:34:34 +0000

This list needs to be made into an iPhone application for instant reference perhaps even random “magic 8 ball” functionality. If you can get me the right grant ($,000,000) and give me 2 years I’d be happy to get it done for you. For additional time & $ we can do a version in Esperanto as well. Kion vi opinias?

By: Andre Ling

Andre Ling — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 09:54:19 +0000

One that always bugs me is: ‘someone else tried this somewhere else and it didn’t seem to work’ – often playing complete disregard to differences in context, culture and more importantly the details of how it was done and why it didn’t work. For example: ‘oh I read about/saw/worked on a project in [developing country name] that was trying to set up [type of project] and it didn’t work. So there’s really no point trying that again!’

By: Suvojit

Suvojit — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 02:09:46 +0000

A familiar one – “If this is such a good idea, why hasn’t it been done before? And that means this cannot work”

By: Amani

Amani — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 06:37:19 +0000

Am printing a copy to carry in my wallet for convenience. Criticism has never been so easy!

By: Michael Clemens

Michael Clemens — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 22:25:00 +0000

Don’t forget: “Your idea may or may not cause me to have to sacrifice [insert small fraction of one percent] of the living standard that is my birthright because I was born in a rich country, or barely diminish the day-to-day conveniences I enjoy while living out my 87 year life expectancy. Therefore your idea will not work.”

Unsurprisingly, my favorite application of this one is to the idea of increasing low-skill immigration from developing countries.

By: David Roodman

David Roodman — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:08:43 +0000

Honestly, Owen, I think this is very rude of you. By providing a universal tool for aid criticism, you have deprived everyone else of the sense of moral superiority and cleverness that they could gain by finding their own ways to criticize aid and aid rhetoric.

By: How a universal advocate would response to the universal critic « Aid Thoughts

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 11:40:19 +0000

[...] This post is meant as a light-hearted response to Owen’s truly excellent dig at generic, by-the-hip criticisms of aid. [...]

By: Brian Barder

Brian Barder — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 08:53:19 +0000

A splendid post.

Another reason why “your” aid project won’t work is because it doesn’t involve me or (especially) you in painful personal sacrifice…. Also known as Rich World Compulsory Guilt Syndrome (RWCGP).