Reason.com
Data: Aiding and Indebting
Since 1960 the world has dumped $450 billion in aid on the 48 countries of sub-Saharan Africa. Last summer eight wealthy nations pledged to double their assistance to the region by 2010. But despite the push to give, evidence that aid boosts economic development is hard to come by. Between 1975 and 2000, aid to Africa averaged $24 per capita, while aid to South Asia was $5. During those 25 years, per capita GDP in Africa sank, while South Asia's per capita GDP more than doubled.
So where did all those subsidies go? Frequently, they landed in the pockets of government officials and their cronies. Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, chairman of Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, reported in July that nearly $400 billion in African aid had been "squandered" between 1960 and 2000.
Graph (not available on-line): Real GDP per Capita (in constant 1995 international dollars)
More Articles by Ronald Bailey
- Separating Church and State Money, Ronald Bailey, May 24, 2012
- The Ethics of Egg Freezing, Ronald Bailey, May 22, 2012
- China Needs the Rule of Law, Ronald Bailey, May 16, 2012
Related Articles (Economics, Foreign Policy)
- Government Beneficiaries and Other Fairy Tales, Sheldon Richman, May 26, 2012
- Is the GOP an Echo or a Choice?, Tim Cavanaugh, May 22, 2012
- America’s Small-Business Fetish, Veronique de Rugy, May 21, 2012
- Is There a Libertarian Case for Organized Labor?, Sheldon Richman, May 20, 2012
- NATO Comes to Chicago, Ed Krayewski, May 18, 2012
Most Popular Stories
- 5 Classic Teen Sex-and-Drug Freakouts: Rainbow Parties, Butt-Chugging, And So Much More (By Which We Mean Less) (5.27)
- Government Beneficiaries and Other Fairy Tales (5.26)
- Do Organic Consumers Shop Exclusively at the Jerk Store? (5.26)
- Sharon Presley on Libertarian Feminism (5.26)
- Here Are the 15 Senators Who Voted to Stop Armed FDA Agents From Conducting Warrantless Raids on America's Farmers (Not One of Them is a Democrat) (5.24)
Reason RUPE: Public Opinion Survey
- Reason-Rupe: Wisconsinites Favor Increasing Public Union Retirement Contributions to Address Budget Deficit (5.25)
- Reason-Rupe Poll Finds Support for Public Union Reforms (5.25)
- New Poll: Obama Leads Romney In Wisconsin, But Gary Johnson Could Impact the Race (5.24)
- Wisconsin Recall: Walker Leads Barrett 50-42 Among Likely Voters (5.24)
- Reason-Rupe Poll: Walker Leads Barrett 50-42, Obama Leads Romney 46-36 (5.24)
advertisements
Get Reason E-mail Updates!
Manage your Reason e-mail list subscriptionsSite comments/questions:
Media Inquiries and Reprint Permissions:
(310) 367-6109
Editorial & Production Offices:
3415 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 391-2245
Editor's Note: We invite comments and request that they be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of Reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment or disable your ability to comment for any reason at any time.
nfl jerseys|11.7.10 @ 10:52PM|#
nxryt