The disparity gap between developed and undeveloped countries is tremendous. Not only between different countries but also within different countries. Some people live with an overflow of nutrition while others have to supply themselves daily with food that will not be enough. Sub Saharan Africa, where Ghana is located, is one of the poorest areas in the world.
Indirect aid, being donation of money, food etc., is one way to invest in a better future for undeveloped countries. Physically taking part, being direct aid, in that development is another way of giving aid. The extended essay is a tool to investigate this and come to a conclusion of my research. What is more beneficial for undeveloped countries, indirect or direct aid?
The aim of my research question and study is
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The columnist Michael Burleigh, Daily Mail, wrote an article (8 August 2013) on corruption in Nigeria with the heading “A country so corrupt it would be better to burn our aid money”. He continues stating that since its independence in 1960 Nigeria has received an estimated 400 billion USD and estimates indicate that since 1960 380 billion USD of government funds have been stolen and out of Nigeria’s 36 state governors, 31 are under federal investigation for corruption.
Today many donors are linking aid to goals being met. One example being the US by its Millennium Challenge Corporation. By this the United States has attempted to discourage corruption through aid tied to performance on a series of governance indicators. The Millennium Challenge Corporation, which administers these grants, was started by President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama allocated $1.4 billion for the program in his FY2010 budget7. Experts say it's too early to evaluate whether the program has been successful, but many praise its linkage between governance improvements and access to aid
The biggest problem with the government of Nigeria in regard to its malpractice towards the people is the unchecked corruption. A
Riddell, Roger C. 2007. Does Foreign Aid Really Work? 1st ed. OXFORD: Oxford University Press, USA.
"Corruption is an important cause of poverty because it promotes unfair distribution of income and inefficient use of resources." (The Link Between Corruption and Poverty) Americans enjoy a government that, although it has its flaws, looks out for its citizens and is geared for the benefit of the people as a whole. Leaders that are elected generally have the population's best interests at heart and fight for better lives for average Americans nationwide. Most countries in Africa do not have the luxury of such a government. The officials only care about themselves. They pocket a fair amount of the donated money and another significant portion is used for selfish projects that do not really benefit the country or the millions of poverty-stricken citizens. "The well-connected people don't have to pay the same taxes like everyone else; policemen and other junior officials seeking small bribes don't dare solicit cash from them. At the end of the day it is the poor and the weak who face the true brunt of corruption. This is a critical link between corruption and poverty." (The Link Between Corruption and Poverty) This also has an effect on the leaders that do have good intentions at heart. They have never been trained on how to be effective and they also, accidentally, use the money in many unhelpful ways. The money is squandered time and time again and the rest of the world does nothing but keep the supply of it coming. This is another area where something must
Historically, aid has been viewed as a viable and effective response to natural disasters, post-war reconstruction and economic development. Aid has been successful in providing people with food, water, clothing, and medicines after tsunamis and relocating the newly homeless after hurricanes. After World War II, aid in the form of the Marshall Plan undeniably rescued Europe from the throws of economic fallout. For these reasons, politicians, citizens, famous rock stars and even some businesses have advocated aid as a method to increase economic development. Sadly, the results have been far from what was expected. The Africa Progress Panel reported that a 7 percent growth rate is needed to make any considerable progress in poverty reduction
"Between 1945 and 1983 the U.S. gave away $321 billion in foreign assistance, concessional loans, military aid, and humanitarian assistance." (Cato Policy Report, 1991) The Clinton administration task force admitted that, "Despite decades of foreign assistance, most of Africa and parts of Latin America, Asia and the Middle East are economically worse off today than they were 20 years ago." (Conservative Chronicle, 1994) United States financial aid does not help the problem it stabilizes it until it's withdrawn.
The trouble with aid reveals, over time government in start to lose their sovereignty as they keep receiving aid. The aid created restrictions by the government because of the regulations of placed by those giving the donations. For they have a certain idea of how and where the money should be spent. This reduces the accountability of the government to its people and gives more agency in countries to while reducing the agency of the local government to intervene their rule of a state.
The arguments on aid have been seen largely from two perspectives: idealistic and realistic points of view. The idealist arguments are normative, with no real possibilities of assessing their validity. In contrast, evidence can be gathered to test the economic consequences of aid although different interpretations of the evidence are always possible and disagreements over the conclusiveness of the test are
Whereas the United States? budget deficit forces many government agencies, including the Agency for International Development(AID), to lose funding. Furthermore there is no reason to send billions of dollars over seas when northern countries like the United States and Great Britain currently face the highest levels of child poverty that either country has seen in over 25 years. In addition to poverty, other domestic problems such as rape, robberies, and murders in this country still exist. Until domestic issues are solved, any future increase in foreign aid should also be kept to a minimum.
“Benefits of foreign aid have recently been under severe scrutiny. Several observers argue that a large portion of foreign aid flow from developed to developing countries is wasted and increases unproductive public consumption. Poor institutional development, corruption,
On one hand, aid can improve the overall environment of countries as seen with countries that have survived natural disasters (hurricanes, tsunamis, floods, etc.). However, on the other hand, aid can be misused as seen with Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline where the oil money is being used to purchase weapons and rig election instead of serving the people (NBC News). Another problem with providing aid is the bias that is introduced upon distribution, this is seen in times of conflict where one side is chosen over another to receive aid. Ways to improve aid are to: 1) ensure that the rules attached to given aid are clear, agreed on, and enforced; 2) ensure that aid is available to
When I chose Brazil as the subject country for examining its foreign aid received, I ran into a bit of a dilemma. Brazil has evolved from being a foreign aid recipient and less developed nation of the past, to become a major foreign aid provider in recent years. This fact places this emerging country in a unique and interesting position as both a donor and recipient as of 2010 records reveal and Brazil’s donor status is on the increase since this new “middle-of-the-road” development status for this intriguing country emerged.
Having read your write ups, it is obvious that you are blaming the atrocities laziest people in Nigeria perpetuate on those in authority. To a large extent, I disagree with you. Inasmuch as the majority of those in authority are corrupt, I don't think that is a reason for justifying laziness, greediness, and evil that people commit. If the government had done everything it could to establish a healthy environment for Nigerians, so many people would have yet indulged in atrocities. Nigeria is an environment in which the majority of the inhabitants wants to be rich overnight, and that is what gave birth to the corruption we witness today at all levels of government and institutions in Nigeria. However, in the midst of the unhealthy environment
Nigeria is an Agricultural and oil rich nation but characterised by Political instability, corruption, poor
Corruption can be defined as the use of entrusted power to accumulate public wealthy for personal benefit. Corruption is not peculiar to any country, continent or state; it is sure a global issue which is an endemic to all government all over the world. However, corruption is prevalent in the Niger delta region of Nigeria; public officers in this oil producing state of Nigeria are corrupt. Consequently, it has defied the Niger delta from developing politically and economically which has left the states reputation in a mess. Radicalization of youths, abject poverty and -political instability are the three leading effects of corruption in the Niger delta region of Nigeria.
This piece of writing will provide evidences and determine whether trade is the key to economic growth in developing countries but not aid. While trade is the key to economic growth in developing countries, good governance also plays a vital role in economic development. Nevertheless, aid and trade are aimed at different goals. This assignment starts with investigating the connection between aid and development with providing an evidence of its negative impact. It also compares the effect of trade and aid. Secondly, it