Rachel Glennerster calls for reforming foreign aid

 [[{“value”:”Aid agencies already try to cover too many countries and sectors, incurring high costs to set up small programs. Aid projects are far too complicated, resembling a Christmas tree weighed down with everyone’s pet cause. With less money (and in the US, very few staff), now is the time to radically simplify. By choosing a
The post Rachel Glennerster calls for reforming foreign aid appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION.”}]] 

Aid agencies already try to cover too many countries and sectors, incurring high costs to set up small programs. Aid projects are far too complicated, resembling a Christmas tree weighed down with everyone’s pet cause. With less money (and in the US, very few staff), now is the time to radically simplify. By choosing a few highly cost-effective interventions and doing them at large scale in multiple countries, we would ensure

aid funds are spent on highly effective projects;
we benefit from the substantial economies of scale seen in development;
a much higher proportion of aid money goes to recipient countries, with less spent on consultants; and
politicians and the public can more easily understand what aid is being spent on, helping build support for aid.

The entire piece is excellent.

The post Rachel Glennerster calls for reforming foreign aid appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION.

 Current Affairs, Economics, Medicine, Political Science 


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