5.2 Flashcards
what aid is Needed after sudden disasters?
Emergency/ short-term aid.
What is Conditional/ tied aid
- When one country donates money or resources to another (bilateral) but with conditions attached (in the MEDC’s favour) – e.g. Pergau Dam project in Malaysia à increases a developing country’s costs by 15% (inappropriate for development)
Describe Charitable aid
- Funded by donations from the public through NGOs (e.g. Oxfam)
Describe Long-term/ development aid.
Providing local communities with education and skills for sustainable development
Describe Multilateral aid.
- Given through international organisations rather than one specific country (e.g. World Bank)
Advantages of aid for donor countries
- The country may receive a returned favour/ loan (conditional/tied aid accounts for 40% of donations from OECD countries)
- Humanitarian
- Strengthened political ties
- Lifts extreme poverty (half a million)
Advantages of aid for recipient countries
- Saves lives à in turn will produce productive agents for the economy (base of production), otherwise people become a burden on economy
- Tied aid can counter inefficient corrupt officials (e.g. military spending and extravagant projects – palaces and parliamentary buildings)
- Sustainable development projects
- Increased foreign investment
- Foreign exchange pays for imports
- Housing and infrastructure can be rebuilt (ports, airports, roads, energy supply)
- Medical raining, medicines and equipment can improve health and standards of living
- Clean water and sanitation
- Agricultural aid = increased food production and increased quality and quantity. Stability to maintain an agricultural base à healthy and working human population resource
- Investment in jobs and industrial development = jobs and improved transport infrastructure
- Develop natural resources and power supplies
Additional income for government
disadvantages of aid for donor countries
- Tied aid is not always repaid
- No trade deal – aid is not economically viable
Disadvantages of aid for recipient countries
- Increases dependency of LEDCs on donor countries (especially with conditional aid if it is in the form of a loan)
- Can cause political or economic pressure
- In corrupt governments local politicians may use aid for their own means/ political gain
- Smaller farmers may not benefit from agricultural aid
- Inflation may arise from food/ water aid (distortion of structure of prices and incentives)
- Wasted on grandiose projects to raise the profile of political regimes
- Infrastructure improvements may benefit employers more than employees
- Projects run by foreign companies/ a proportion of resources/profits may be sent abroad (leakage)
Encourages the growth of a larger than necessary public sector
What is short term emergency aid?
Short-term assistance to reduce immediate threats to life: food, clothes, medical supplies and shelter, help refugees fleeing from natural or human disasters (e.g. Nov 2007 Bangladesh storm) (NGOs direct to those in need)
(Sudan 2008
Sichuan, China 2008 earthquake disaster zones)
Describe Cyclone Nargis Myanmar.
Storm surge killed 140,000 people destroyed 450,000 homes and damaged 350,000 others (77-85% of housing destroyed), 2.4m severely affected. Humanitarian assistance: food, shelter, clean water and medical supplies. Myanmar government (political reasons) refused aid – 10 helicopters from UN World Food Programme and US warships refused permission to land and unload). Half of those severely affected did not receive humanitarian aid. Rebuild damaged infrastructure – roads, bridges, schools and hospitals and restore livelihoods. Repair of 2000km2 damaged rice fields by salinization.
Describe Long term development aid
Grants and loans, debt cancellation and technical assistance (large-scale construction projects to improve infrastructure – energy supply/ transport). Effects trickle down and improve the lives of everyone.
Tied aid benefits the donor more than the recipient in economic terms, aid on large capital intensive projects may worsen the conditions of the poorest people, the strengthening of political ties of bilateral aid may increase dependency and hinder democracy, may delay the introduction of reforms
àSmaller-scale projects (fund local schemes – well construction, primary education, health care and the provision of micro-finance)
Long term development aid
(Uganda and Zambia) City Community Challenge
– reduce urban poverty. HIV prevalence is around 25%, poor housing, crime, poverty, no household sanitation, few clinics, scarce formal employment (informal sector & casual labour) - $2m from UK’s Department for International Development. Small grants and loans for community-managed improvements in urban slums = greater commitment and active involvement (retailing, fish-farming, charcoal making, broom making, water supply, carpentry). Aim to build low-cost housing and provide practical skills – bricklaying and plastering. 14-classroom primary school for homeless street children.
Describe the Practical Action shelter project – sustainable development
Provide education and skills to communities in order to build better quality housing using their own labour, local resources and traditional techniques (prevent shanty town developments)
Describe OEDC – Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation
Africa is the biggest receiver of aid (2003) with Mozambique receiving the ODA in terms of their GDP (60%). Today: Israel
Norway provides the most aid (in terms of their GDP) – 0.87%