This is why foreign aid is bad for less developed countries

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Thomas Sowell is an American economist and political commentator. He taught economics at Cornell University, the University of California, Los Angeles, and since 1980 at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, where he is currently a Senior Fellow.
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[brycegill]

“Foreign aid takes money from poor people in rich countries and gives it to rich people in poor countries” - Ron Paul

[dustymiller]

"You're simply transferring wealth that has already been created, but you are not transferring the ability to create that wealth."

[tomseidel]

There was a fascinating show on Netflix called Poverty Inc. It detailed the destruction of local economies where farmers and clothing makers could not compete against the free food and clothing being distributed. As Thomas Sowell points out, if we truly want to help impoverished countries we must provide them with the means to generate wealth for themselves.

[WhoStoleMyAlias]

This was in fact picked up on in the seventies. An aid group (can't remember the name) shipped farm equipment and irrigation systems and sent out people to teach locals how to work them. They had two or three successful years of harvest and then they handed them the keys. With the bosses (...) away the locals stopped putting any effort in the farm, the irrigation system stalled and the crops died. It was easier to simply wait for the trucks to dump the bags of rice from China and other `aiding` countries on their doorstep.

[oldgysgt]

The family who live across the street were "Boat People". They are ethnic Chinese, and they came to America with only their cloths and two young kids. They eventually bought a nice house and put their two kids through college. The father died several years back, but the mother and kids are doing fine. They made good through hard work, but some poor people born in America set back and complain that they never had a chance to succeed in America.

[patriciakimball]

“Those who are most needed will be most hated.”

[kathrynmolesa]

“Subsidizing irresponsibility”
Isn’t that what welfare is?

[zenjm]

As an Indian I agree. We take money from other countries so that we can remain undeveloped.

[lesfox]

For countries to become members of the UN, they are required to contribute something like 0.7% to the UN for foreign aid purposes.

The money stripped of it's origin status and forwarded to countries the UN decides is worthy of it.

This was done to try to prevent countries who provide foreign aid from being forced to align politically with the host because they had received funding from them., especially in matters of no concern to them.

So if countries are paying money to the UN for foreign aid purposes and then privately funding a targeted country at the same time, it would suggest the host country has a vested interest in their politics for some reason?

[DebbiesSanctuary]

As with the Taliban in Afghanistan.The best though is that we are becoming aware of the incompetency of and corruption of our government that has perpetuated it for decades. Hopefully we will not forget!

[timhays]

In the 1980s I worked as a recruiter/trainer for a real estate company. The guy that trained me stated "Help those that do. Do not help those that don't. There is a lot of potential sleeping on park benches that will waste your time and money."

[anonperson]

Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.

[mayorb]

You're a struggling farmer in impoverished nation.
Things are starting to click, your market is developing.
Then 6, 000 tons of grain lands at your sea port.
Your crops just became worthless.
You lose your investment, close your operation.
That's what happened in "Aid For Africa" in the 80's.
But when the grain was gone, another 6, 000 tons did not show up.
Because the "We Are The People" crowd moved on to other causes.
This is just one of many examples of how Do-Gooder, social welfare causes totally backfire.
No doubt, they are with very well intentions, but so many are all about CAUSE, without any vision about EFFECT.
Have as big of a heart as you will, but keep your brain in gear at the same time.

[exdemocrat]

William F. Buckley & Thomas Sowell. Doesn't get any better than that.

[hansfranklin]

Give man a fish or teach him to
A great intelligent conversation between Buckley and Sowell!

[robertabell]

I didn’t forget to smash that like button Appreciate y’all Dr. Sowell all day long.

[jasa]

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and he can feed himself for a lifetime.

[mauricerose]

...give a man fish...he may eat for a day...but 'teach' a man to fish...and he may feed himself for a lifetime...if you want a man to starve...give him the fish...

[Tinfoilhat]

I can’t speak for other countries butmy country gets the most foreign aid as well as “reparations from former colonial nation. And we in last 70 years have not been able to solve the problems of basic needs in my country. We were better off under rule of colonial nation than now.

[jibran]

I think this is part of the reason why Ghana is going to produce their own chocolate rather than exporting cocoa to the likes of Switzerland.