Michael Gerson on Dead Aid: Dead Wrong
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In today’s Washington Post, Michael Gerson offers a largely critical review of Dambisa Moyo’s book Dead Aid. Accusing the book of pushing “the envelope of absurdity” Gerson claims that under Moyo’s proposal, “many now alive would be dead.”
Excerpts below, full piece here. You can read more about this Hot Topic here.
Moyo is on firm ground in criticizing decades of direct foreign assistance to African governments. Such aid has often propped up corrupt elites, shielded leaders from the consequences of their own incompetence and delayed reforms necessary for the development of working markets. She is correct in emphasizing the decisive role of trade, direct foreign investment and local capital in the development of poor nations — sources of opportunity that dwarf aid flows in size and importance.
But Moyo does not take sufficient account of the broad reaction against this kind of direct aid beginning in the 1990s. The United States started taking a much more targeted and strategic approach. The Millennium Challenge Account directed new aid to nations willing to work as responsible partners, dedicated to reform and transparency. Initiatives on AIDS and malaria required and achieved measurable outcomes and have often worked through civil society instead of giving money directly to African governments.
But it is perhaps for the best that Moyo did not write on these issues, because she knows little about them. Referring to America’s AIDS program, she states: “In 2005, the United States pledged US $15 billion over five years to fight AIDS (mainly through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief). . . . But this had strings attached. Two-thirds of the money had to go to pro-abstinence programmes.” The year of the pledge was 2003. And last year about one-thirteenth of the program was dedicated to both abstinence and marital faithfulness programs. It is not a small thing for an economist to be off by a factor of nine. And it is not a minor thing for Moyo to dismiss and distort the achievements of a foreign aid program that helped save her homeland of Zambia from social and economic ruin. In 2004, 7 percent of Zambians who needed AIDS drugs were receiving them. By September, that figure should exceed 66 percent. AIDS drugs, admittedly, do not guarantee economic growth. But I suspect that a generation of hopeless mass death would have undermined Zambia’s economic prospects.
If Moyo’s point is that some aid can be bad, then it is noncontroversial. If her point is that all aid is bad, then it is absurd. The productive political agenda is to increase the good while decreasing the bad. The productive academic debate is distinguishing between them.
-Chris Scott
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April 4, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Thank you, Mr. Gerson, for this well-reasoned and very effective response to Dambisa Moyo’s book. It is a welcomed response to the media hype around this book.
The simple fact is that Ms. Moyo DOESN’T HAVE THE PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND in foreign development, economic and public policy issues to have her promoted as some sort of “expert” on the issues raised in her book.
My God, she comes from Goldman Sachs, a private capitalist enterprise, which is PART OF THE PROBLEM of the world economic crisis.
It is exactly the corporate exploitation of Africa for centuries by private capitalist enterprises which is the main reason WHY Africa is currently underdeveloped in certain areas and what is Moyo’s solution to that?
More private capitalist “investment” and exploitation”!
It just doesn’t make sense – and her ideas are potentially life-theatening for the MILLIONS of African who benefit from foreign assistance programs.
And their voices are not being heard in this discussion.
GOD BLESS AFRICA, debbie
http://www.mpwn-uganda.org
April 5, 2009 at 9:44 am
The good thing about Moyo is that her book is generating debate and forcing various sides to bring solid evidence to the table. Here is a good list of people who are pro and con the Moyo stance:
http://www.owen.org/blog/2247
April 5, 2009 at 11:13 am
It’s hard for me to address a name of three letters because one never knows who is not willing to reveal their true identity but there is NO SOLID EVIDENCE in Moyo’s book and that is what the entire discussion here is all about.
Ultimately, Moyo can MAKE AS MUCH MONEY from her book as she is able to (she is a private venture economist, afterall).
My only concern is that the Congresspeople in DC overwhelmingly disagree with her smear job of a book regarding these programs which HAVE SHOWN TREMENDOUS POSITIVE RESULTS for some of the poorest people in Africa.
Otherwise they wouldn’t be voting to retain the integrity of these programs in Congress.
BTW – how many millions of lives have Moyo saved in Africa?
I didn’t think so. (lol)
GOD BLESS AFRICA, debbie +
April 5, 2009 at 10:11 pm
The author, of Dead Aid, seems not to be picking a fight with those who she refers to as, ” providing band-aids to Africa”, but rather embracing them and advocating the pursuit that leads to countries of Africa being able to obtain a position where the need for aid is eliminated. Due to African governments being able to solve their own problems.
April 6, 2009 at 9:20 am
Debbie K, for someone who, and I paraphrase, “doesn’t want to debate the issue anymore” you sure seem hell bent on this attack of Dr. Moyo. I actually saw Dr. Moyo speak on Friday, and she addressed the very issue of being misinterpreted. Her chief concern is African governments who choose not to be accountable to their populace. If its true that sokme countries depend on aid up to 70% of their national purse, then this is an abject disaster. Shouldn’t you be more concerned about the fact that such a vast continent, full of resources can not seem to get itself out of the doldrums. No more pity for Africa, please, we are capable!
April 6, 2009 at 9:21 am
By the way, Debbie, Dr. Moyo IS from Africa!! How many lives have you saved where you’re from (since we’re going to be snide about this.)
April 6, 2009 at 8:15 pm
Mr. Kibaya, you do not know anything about me – my history with the Continent of Africa and Her People. I know nothing more about you except that you have recently been in Dambisa’s presence. That might be an indicator of your viewpoints on this subject.
I would love to nkow who you think is “pitying” Africa – it’s certainly not me nor anyone else who is a ONE supporter!
So who are you talking about?
You mentioned to me last week that you did not know a lot about ONE – it shows by your comments.
You have been at this website for a week now voicing your opinions about an organization that you said you knew nothing about, If you would have taken some time to actually learn about ONE, then you would have seen that from our inception as an organization five years ago that
ONE HAS NEVER PORTRAYED AFRICANS AS INCAPABLE OR AS PITY OBJECTS.
In fact, ONE has stressed over and over again that African People are strong, courageous, capable, noble, entrepreneurial people who only needed the chance to show what they are able to achieve in the world market and in the world political arena.
HOW CAN YOU INTERPRET THAT AS “PITYING” ANYBODY?
You can’t – so please get off that train of thought.
As for me, Mr. Kibaya, I have helped to save MILLIONS of people on the Continent from HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria through my activism as a ONE volunteer.
I have been part of a dedicated movement of people who have helped to bring clean water to thousands of African communities and education to at least 34 MILLION African children.
Unless you want to go down the slippery slope of ethnicism & racism (which I refuse to go down with you) , it does not matter to that African child who will contract malaria without an insecticide-treated bednet where I come from – all that matters to them is that they will not die of malaria tonight.
Also, as my friends and associates in Africa who are HIV+ would tell you if they had access to the Internet, it does not matter to them that I am a white American because they are grateful to me & the millions of other ONE volunteers who have advocated for their right to live
and who have made sure that they have the ARV’s that they need to live.
So, do NOT use ethnicity and race again in this discussion because it does NOT belong in this discussion.
I live according to this African proverb: “It’s not what you call me; it’s what I answer to.”
Mr. Kibaya – I answer to the Future of Africa; I answer to the Ancestors who cry in rage from their graves at the tremendous loss of life in Africa from totally preventable causes everyday.
I do NOT answer to you or to Dambisa Moyo – let’s get that understood.
One more thing: I asked you in one of our previous correspondences where you were from. You said Malawi. I made the assumption that you were presently in Malawi.
But if you were just in Ms. Moyo’s presence recently, then you are either here in the USA or in London because I follow Ms. Moyo in Facebook and know that she is not in Africa right now.
This is just to clarify that you must be currently living away from the Continent. Just an observation.
Let’s put an end to our discussion, Mr. Kibaya – I can see no further good coming out of it.
GOD BLESS AFRICA, debbie
April 6, 2009 at 9:58 pm
LOL…I took you seriously, until I saw your post on Dr. Moyo’s Facebook page, with Bono behind you. You are not objective at all. There is nothing anyone can say to your self-righteous self that can convince you that maybe Dr. Moyo may have some good ideas. And please, don’t patronize me with your ‘care’ for Africans and her future. I am from Malawi, I was in Washington, DC recently and I got a chance to hear Dr. Moyo, whats your point? The pity I talk about is the relentless belief that Africa needs ‘help’. Africa needs to take care of herself, and we’ll keep seeking ways to do that. We don’t need anyone’s pity. You’ve said you’re not an economist, so with what capacity are you making these brazen comments. And what i asked you is if you’re questioning Dr. Moyo about what she has done for Africa, my question to you is what have you done for the poor Americans?
April 6, 2009 at 11:11 pm
Goodnight, sir – I told you that I am done discussing with you. You are free to find someone else to engage in conversation with but I ask you to leave me alone.
FYI – there are some posting guidelines here in the ONE Blog. I’d suggest that you look at them because I think harassing someone after they have asked you to desist in discussion with them might not be within the guidelines of posting here.
GOD BLESS AFRICA – debbie
April 7, 2009 at 8:29 am
Are you serious? You said you didn’t want to discuss this 3 postings ago, and you continued to post, including specific references to my posts, so you were obviously still very interested in expressing yourself. I have done absolutely wrong, and if you think going down the road of falsely accusing me of “harrassment” is supposed to intimidate me, you should think long and hard before going down that route. You have launched a scathing attack on Dr. Moyo, accusing her of basically trying to get rich at the expense of Africans, if her fellow Africans are supposed to sit back and just accept this you’re greatly mistaken, Madam. Like I clearly stated before, it is your perogative to stop this discussion, but Dr. Moyo has struck a cord for some of us, and we will not falter. I will continue within the guidelines set out on this site, none of which I have violated, but I and several others like me, will not be shut up.
May 19, 2009 at 3:10 pm
Both Michael Gerson and Dambisa Moyo have their strongpoint and their weeknesses. But everyone needs to understand that they are honestly trying to make Afirca a better place. Dambisa Moyo grew up in Africa, and she saw the poverty herself. Granted, she may be no expert in Foreign Affairs but she did come from the area. Let’s give her little more credit.
I don’t think either Dambisa Moyo or ONE is entirely right. They come from rather extreme ends of the spectrem and it would be unwise to see them as the only two viewpoints. Moyo is right in the sense that we cannot continue to fund aid that increases inflation and corruption but it would be irresponsible and lazy to do nothing. However, Moyo does not suggest that we do nothing. Instead she offers alternatives to just giving out money. I think it is safe to say that all of us know that money isn’t the only solution. Many celeberties use giving money as a pay to paint themselves a humanitarian. What most people need are items, such as mosquito nets, medicine and clean water. If you read the NY Times interview with Moyo, she does offer solutions to people who just want donate money (Kiva.org).
October 30, 2009 at 3:27 pm
I know this an older blog but I just had to address this expressed point/concern:
******The simple fact is that Ms. Moyo DOESN’T HAVE THE PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND in foreign development, economic and public policy issues to have her promoted as some sort of “expert” on the issues raised in her book.*******
Apparently no one took the time to actually realize what critentials Ms. Moyo has so here you are:
Moyo was born and raised in Lusaka, Zambia. She holds a Doctorate in Economics from Oxford University and a Masters from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. She also has an MBA in Finance and Bachelors degree in Chemistry from American University in Washington D.C. She worked for the World Bank for 2 years as a Consultant (from 1993-1995) and at Goldman Sachs for 8 years (from 2001 to 2008), where she worked in the debt capital markets and as an economist in the global macroeconomics team.
I would say that shows that she has the “professional background” to be qualified to make an assessment of the situation.
Now, I do agree that stopping all aid is an absurd idea. However, Moyo’s points about aid crippling a nation and making them dependent are valid. Her outlook is to uplift her country financially by other means beside just aid is a good one. Teach a man to fish and all of that. But the aid is still needed.