SJS 2: More Aid Is Not the Answer

Source: Glennie, Jonathan. "More Aid Is Not the Answer." Current History 109.727 (2010): 205-09. Print.


Author Credentials: Jonathan Glennie is a writer on international poverty and human rights. He is currently Director of Policy and Research of Save the Children UK. He is also a visiting fellow at the International Development Institute at King's College London.

Summary: Jonathan Glennie starts his argument by stating that the common solution to Africa's poverty, foreign aid, is not an effective approach to ending this dilemma. This approach to helping Africa is refuted, and he states that foreign aid in Africa has only led to more poverty, and more hunger. Monetary aid to Africa has long been the method by which most countries attempt to help Africa, but more recently, this approach has received much dissatisfaction. To substantiate his claim, Glennie refers to Moses Isooba, a member of Uganda's Community Development Resource Network, who stated that he opposes large amounts of foreign aid to reduce African poverty. In fact, Glennie declares that the common misconception by people in richer countries that foreign aid is the answer to African poverty is objected by Africans themselves, as they often view the foreign aid situation in a more complex manner than these richer people. Three categories of effects of foreign aid in Africa are discussed. The first category, direct impacts, deals with topics such as the number of people who were able to be vaccinated as a result of foreign aid, and the displacement of African people are also discussed. The second category is indirect macroeconomic consequences, which comprises of the harmful effects that large inflows of money has on poor Afrcians. The last category is the relationship between the government and the governed, and argues that dependence on foreign aid has slowed the building of basic institutions which are required to govern. Glennie then proceeds to describe positives of foreign aid, such as improvements in infrastructure, but then the negatives are discussed, like the detrimental effects of exchange rates and prices on workers. Following the author's acknowledgment of these positive and negative effects, he uses a term called "aid realism", which is a phrase used to analyze the true effectiveness of foreign aid. Glennie believes that as a result of foreign aid, Africa has become dependent on foreign donations to operate. The article concludes with the idea that Africa does not require more foreign aid; it requires an approach to reduce its dependency on foreign aid.

Analysis: The argument that Jonathan Glennie proposes, that foreign aid to Africa is actually detrimental to the continent's people, is unique and thoroughly supported. His argument attempts to dispel one of the Five Myths of Africa, specifically: Africa needs our help. Throughout his article, Glennie details numerous harmful effects of foreign aid to Africa, and even quotes a man named Moses Isooba, a member of a Ugandan development network, who states that foreign aid is harmful to Africa. Glennie also differentiates between fact and opinion well, as he always is sure to acknowledge the opposing argument when stating one of his personal opinions. In closing, I believe Glennie is a reliable source due to his evidence, and well-organized structure.