Preview

Foreign Aid: Pros and Cons Essay Example

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
635 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Foreign Aid: Pros and Cons Essay Example
Pros: MORE than 1 billion people live in extreme poverty. If targeted effectively, foreign aid can make a positive contribution to improving people's lives, reducing inequality and promoting justice.
A fundamental principle for effective aid is that it should be focused on reducing poverty and be driven by those whose needs are being addressed. In other words, the interests and rights of the poor and marginalized must be at the center of any program.
First, in humanitarian emergencies, lives are at stake. When people are in desperate need of food, water, medical care and shelter as a result of famine, conflict or natural disaster, who else will help? Such urgent assistance is the responsibility of nations and organizations that have the capacity to do so. In 1992 in Somalia the lives of desperate women and children were saved as a result of foreign aid.
Foreign aid improves standards in the provision of health care, education and infrastructure, thus creating the foundation for economic and social development.
Humanitarian support is vital for the third world countries. As a result of extremely low standards of living, people in such countries feel a huge lack of food and medicine. Therefore, the need of international Aid is undoubted.
Foreign aid is an attempt to relieve suffering. Many states do not have the infrastructure for an advanced economy, and aid is a means to assist the state in creating permanent solutions to problems linked to poverty.
Aid can also be a good way of forming strong relationships with other countries; curb terrorism and gain political will for global issues and deals but these are in the purest sense of aid not its purpose.

Cons: I don’t know of any country in the world where a bunch of foreigners came and developed the country. I don’t know one: Japan? Korea? No! No country did that. I know about countries that developed on trade and innovation and business.
- Herman Chinery-Hesse
The simple answer to this question is No.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Year 10 Geography Summary

    • 889 Words
    • 4 Pages

    International Aid – assistance developed countries give to developing countries to encourage economic growth and improve living standards…

    • 889 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Aid involves the giving of money, most regularly from a MIC but now frequently from oil rich NICs, to poorer LICs. However, there are different types of aid. Bilateral aid involves the direct giving of fund from one government straight to another, for the recipient to spend on what it pleases. Another form of aid is multilateral aid, which is given by one…

    • 1888 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Australia's Links to Aid

    • 1035 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Aid is given to help other countries develop , for humanitarian reasons , and to improve social justice and equity, it is also beneficial to Australia and our future prosperity. Aid strengthens economic , political , strategic and cultural ties between countries and therefore it is In Australia’s national interest to be an Aid donor. Australia 's largest regional recipient of aid is Papua New Guinea, with other recipients in the poorest parts of East Asia. Australia also contributes to development needs in South Asian, African and Middle Eastern countries.…

    • 1035 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Today I’m bringing a serious subject that has influenced the world and the development of countries around us into perspective. Foreign aid, and how the government should increase it, but first we have to ask the question, “What is foreign aid?” Simply, it is the economic, or military aid given by one nation to another for purposes of relief and rehabilitation, for economic stabilization, or for mutual defense.…

    • 886 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Studies were able to differentiate between “good” and “bad” governments based on certain characteristics that took in account corruption, democracy, etc. It was weird that in conclusion the type of government in charge of a state had no impact on how well the aid given to them fostered growth. Part of the reason for this conclusion was that aid would sometimes be given simply for political reasons or other less effective long-term means. The takeoffs that Planners push for are also very rare and largely unrealistic. Meanwhile, booming economies like China and India are growing in no part thanks to aid. In a nutshell, Easterly describes just how useless aid actually is. A further problem with giving aid is much of the aid seems to be going toward consumption and not long-term investment. If this is the case, no one wonder aid isn’t sparking growth. Easterly does also ponder if growth would be even worse without aid. Perhaps aid doesn’t help too much, but it is also very possible that without aid, the poor states would be even more devastated. He addresses all parts of the arguments and takes into account multiple opposing views and…

    • 1551 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One year after the release of The End of Poverty, New York University economist William Easterly released a book entitled White Man's Burden which criticized Jeffrey Sachs' promotion of more aid to Africa. Easterly contended that "Sachs' anti-poverty prescriptions rest heavily on the kindness of some pretty dysfunctional regimes", arguing that large amounts of international aid are generally wasted or embezzled by corrupt governments. For example, he points to "studies in Guinea, Cameroon, Uganda and Tanzania, which estimated that 30 to 70 percent of government drugs disappeared into the black market rather than reaching the patients". Further, he also cited studies which contend that aid tends to have little effect on promoting economic growth even in countries with good governance.…

    • 452 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The purpose of Australian Aid is to help developing countries around the world eradicate poverty and to promote stability and prosperity both in our region and beyond, by providing different types of assistance and financial support. Although Australia receives a number of benefits due to aid, several disadvantages can also arise as a result of this link with different countries.…

    • 898 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The effects of this aid do not stop there though. When introduced to US products and forced to accept them into their daily lives, it gives the US another distinct advantage. Consumerism. They grow attached to these US products and when they have no need to receive them through aid any longer, they look elsewhere to find them. This encourages businesses to expand worldwide and promotes globalization. Businesses go where demand is highest. This US consumerism is another example of imperialism, because although it is not strictly control by the US, but it is definitely the US’s…

    • 490 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    Argumentative Paper

    • 2797 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The act of charity is something that most people are raised on; if a person has been blessed with wealth, it is always good to help those less fortunate. However, there comes a time when too much is too much. The United States, among other countries, developed the practice of foreign aid after World War II. It was designed to help those countries in desperate need of temporary help when they could not manage on their own. Foreign aid is something that has been in effect over the last few decades and…

    • 2797 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Each year, Australia spends billions of dollars on providing aid to poorer countries to improve health systems, poverty, education as well as providing immediate assistance when natural disasters hit. The Australian Government's overseas aid program is improving the lives of millions of people in developing countries. The statement saying “Australia has an ethical and moral responsibility to provide aid to countries which are less well off” is debateable. The provision of aid by Australia inevitably has cultural, economic and geopolitical impacts. Whether these impacts are positive or negative for Australia to some extent depends on perspective. There are several advantages as well as disadvantages associated with Australia providing aid which can be seen as both positive and negative impacts on Australia. Advantages include that it improves regional relations and it creates future markets for our goods and services. However on the other side, disadvantages include harm to Australia’s international relations, it encourages culture of dependence and as well as other negative impacts of the developing countries.…

    • 1180 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Again, depending on what a countries motives are will determine what aid will be giving. Is this an injustice to the poor? Of course it is but this is how societies have been viewed upon since the beginning. There are many ways that nations can help the poor without giving more money. Institute trade guidelines that are on a more level plane for all involved. This would allow the poorer nations to sell their goods for better prices thus slowly lifting themselves out of the global poverty that they have been accustomed to for most of their…

    • 828 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Aid is an important part of our world that helps to improve and benefit the lives of others. Aid is financial or physical support from countries or public organisations to other states that are in times of need. While Aid is most often perceived as help to regions that have suffered from natural disasters, it comes in many forms. Aid is also not often provided because of good will and generosity from countries, it is used strategically to benefit both receiving and providing parties. Financial support form Australia has changed over time, and now heading towards an all time low. Without aid, rehabilitation of countries would be a much harder, strenuous process. Australia alone have helped to “cut global poverty by 50 percent in the last 10 years”- OXFAM. Providing resources and money to countries in need is essential for an ever evolving and expanding world.…

    • 738 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Foreign Aid In Canada

    • 546 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Johnston’s (2010) definition is “that international development- true development-entails a ranges of supports and actions that enables and empowers poor people and poor countries to take charge of their own affairs. Foreign aid is a contributor to development, but development entails much more than foreign aid” (55). Lancaster contributes to this definition mentioned above, by noting that foreign aid has multiple goals in mind, with “one purpose of which is to promote long-term beneficial change, including poverty reduction, in the recipient country” (Lancaster, 2009, 799).…

    • 546 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Thanks Bono, but No Thanks, Jamie Drummond talks about how good aid is beneficial to African countries. “Good aid, what he calls ‘smart aid,’ which helps people build businesses and take care of their own children—is not only beneficial, it's necessary. Without it, people would die.” In that quote, he explains how good aid that keeps people alive and well is necessary in poor regions of Africa. People living in situations like in South African slums or selling secondhand clothing in Zambia usually have an extremely hard time taking care of children and starting businesses up. Good aid gives them a boost, not money to leech off of, so they can start up a better life. If aid is donated to a responsible organization that will make sure the money gets to people who need it and will put it towards growth, then aid will work in poor African…

    • 702 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In times of war, civilians bear the greatest amount of suffering. Often during gory conflicts villages are destroyed, women are raped, children become severely malnourished, and access to medical care becomes extremely challenging. In other instances, it may be a powerful natural disaster that cripples an entire region or country. Many states are either unable or unwilling to provide necessary medical care during a crisis. Tragedies, such as these, are when many prominent International Non Governmental Organizations step in and fill necessary roles- providing relief and medical care. One such organization, Medecins Sans Frontieres, provides much needed medical aid for these vulnerable communities.…

    • 712 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays