[afro-nets] Failings of Western Aid to Underdeveloped Lands (2)

[Peter Burgess <Profitinafrica@aol.com>]

Failings of Western Aid to Underdeveloped Lands (2)
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Dear Colleagues

I am glad that Claudio has brought to our attention the recent
book by Professor William Easterly "White Man's Burden", as well
as his earlier book "The Elusive Quest for Growth".

Both of these books are very readable, and in my opinion,
describe very well, a very sad reality. Professor Easterly's
last book does not avoid the critical conclusions that need to
be faced... more funding for failed development is not the best
way to go... but I would argue he still does not go far enough.
He has addressed very well the catastrophic failure of the
planners at the World Bank, the UN and in the many bilateral
agencies... and this is a big part of the problem... but I don't
think it explains all of the problem.

I hope he will write another book soon that takes the same level
of analysis into the issues of fund flows and the missing
funds... and the international corporate investments and the
missing (local) benefits... the obscene value chains in modern
globalization and the economics of the West's "Rule of Law"...
and so on.

And I hope he will write a lot more about ways in which relief
and development can be successful. This is starting in this last
book... with a good number of stories about "searchers" who
accomplish real success without the burden of typical relief and
development planning... but it is only a start. We need much
more on solution, and I hope there will be an Easterly book
about this soon.

Arguably Professor Easterly's two books are among the best of
recent relief and development sector critiques.

Sincerely,

Peter Burgess
Tr-Ac-Net in New York
Tel.: +1-212-772-6918
mailto:peterbnyc@gmail.com
The Transparency and Accountability Network
http://tr-ac-net.blogspot.com
http://www.tr-ac-net.org