Foreign Aid & Civil Society
Catalytic Philanthropy and the Delegation of Public Responsibility
The catalytic philanthropist seems to have arrived. But is that a good thing? By putting faith in individuals is society not delegating responsibility for improving its lot to wealthy individuals rather than to the elected representatives that are usually mandated that task?
The World Bank: Inventor of Last Resort?
Financing for global public goods remains dangerously low. Yet the Gates Foundation shows there is a case for an international institution to invest in the needs of developing countries. Subramanian suggests the World Bank should do this – will the developed world agree?
Debating Which Aid Works Best is to Miss the Point
The Economist debate on foreign aid and philanthrocapitalism entirely misses the point. Neither is perfect, but to switch one for the other is simply to change one benevolent patriarch for another.
What Case for a Vulnerability Fund?
The WSJ promotes a World Bank proposal to create a new “vulnerability fund” for poor countries to offset lost remittances. But such a fund would do more harm than good. A better idea would be to just pay the migrant workers this money and let them send it to their home countries.
Analyzing Google.org Grants
This article presents an analysis of grantmaking by Google.org – just how does Google spend its philanthropic dollars? And what does that tell us?
Revisiting WFP’s Purchase for Progress
The WFP’s Purchase for Progress has been called an innovation in food aid that promises to raise farmers incomes too. Yet, as the CGDev points out, there are unintended consequences that have been overlooked. What is the impact on the local consumer?
WFP’s Purchase for Progress: How Far Should It Go?
The World Food Programme received USD 76 million for its Purchase for Progress program. P4P holds substantial promise to raise farmers income in the South by purchasing locally. The true promise, however, is not that it will raise incomes, but that it can create better food markets. Question is, will P4P go far enough?
What Price for Saving India’s ‘Sweatshop children’?
The Telegraph reported yesterday that police in Delhi had closed a sweatshop factory at the “centre of a scandal involving US clothing giant Gap.” This followed a story and a sting operation by a media outlet showing the factory illegally employed children (Gap had subcontracted work from this factory). The international NGO “Global March Against [...]
