The Effectiveness of Aid? ... an excellent method for transferring money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries. — Peter Bauer

The Aid Quiz

1. Of every £1000 of wealth in the UK, how much is given each year in aid to foreign countries? 1. (d) £2.70 out of every £1000 of the UK’s wealth is given in aid to other countries. In total this amounts to just over £3 billion a year. It compares with government spending of £110 billion on social security benefits and £25 billion on arms. £300 £130 £30 £2.70

2. What is the amount the United Nations’ recommends rich countries should give in International Aid, out of each £1000 of its wealth? £700 £70 £7 70p 2. (c) For the past 30 years, the UN has recommended that the MEDCs should give £7 out of every £1000 of their wealth to poor countries. Only Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Luxembourg and Netherlands – have done so.

3. Which of these countries gives the most in International Aid each year? 3. (b) The USA gives more than any other country - $15 billion. This represents £1 for every £1000 of the USA’s wealth (GNP). The next biggest donors in order are Japan, France, Germany and the UK. Netherlands gives a greater share of aid but has a lower GDP so gives less. UK USA Netherlands Japan

4. As a proportion of the wealth of the country, where does the USA come in the world rank-order of generosity to other countries? 1st 11th 21st 31st 4. (c) The United States is 21st in the Table of Aid Givers. The countries what give the highest proportion of wealth in foreign aid are in order, Norway, Denmark, The Netherlands and Luxembourg.

5. The Haiti earthquake in 2010 killed 300,000 people 5. The Haiti earthquake in 2010 killed 300,000 people. The world promised to help. $4.5 billion was promised by government's around the world. How much aid did Haiti actually get? 99% 75% 50% 25% 5. Only about 2.3 billion was received…

Definitions of Aid Given to immediately help after a disaster Long term development aid Given to help a country develop over a number of years Short term aid Tied or conditional aid Uses of local people’s knowledge and is suited to the environment Appropriate aid Often given with certain conditions attached such as trade favours. Can increase project costs by up to 30% Reclassify your statements into these groups

Classify the statements about aid into groups

Aid can be viewed in two ways: Top-Down Development Bottom-Up Development Large in scale Carried out by governments, international organizations Imposed upon locals (not given a choice or voice) Well-funded, quickly responsive Usually small in scale Common projects usually labour intensive Local communities usually involved in decision-making Limited funding available

Is aid appropriate? How can we help a village in Africa? Which one would you choose and why?

Arguments for and against giving aid Emergency aid in times of disaster saves lives. Aid can increase the dependency of LEDCs on donor countries. Sometimes aid is not a gift, but a loan, and poor countries may struggle to repay. Aid helps rebuild livelihoods and housing after a disaster. Aid may not reach the people who need it most. Corruption may lead to local politicians using aid for their own means or for political gain. Provision of medical training,medicines and equipment can improve health and standards of living. Aid can be used to put political or economic pressure on the receiving country. The country may end up owing a donor country or organisation a favour. Aid for agriculture can help increase food production and so improve the quality and quantity of food available. Sometimes projects do not benefit smaller farmers and projects are often large scale. Encouraging aid industrial development can create jobs and improve transport infrastructure. Infrastructure projects may end upbenefiting employers more than employees. Aid can support countries in developing their natural resources and power supplies. It may be a condition of the investment that the projects are run by foreign companiesor that a proportion of the resources or profits will be sent abroad. Projects that develop clean water and sanitation can lead to improved health and living standards. Some development projects may lead to food and water costing more.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/09/world/iyw-how-to-help-typhoon-haiyan/   http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/22/world/asia/philippines-politicians-typhoon-aid-advantage-irpt/ Akosombo dam Geog 3 http://articles.latimes.com/2010/may/02/opinion/la-oe-shah-20100502 Case studies of aid