Impacts of International Aid on Receiving Countries

Question 1

What are the positive impacts of aid?

Answer 1

• dec. poverty by providing funds to help countries improve basic living standards, support education + provide health services
• dec. need for a country to import goods, bc can use funds to dev. own tech + factories, which also provides employment
• relief aid can help a country deal w + recover from natural disasters
• development aid can improve a country’s infrastructure by implementing projects + appropriate technology

Question 2

What are the negative impacts of aid?

Answer 2

• poor countries can develop an over-reliance on aid, preventing them from dev. their own sustainable eco. systems
• aid can be misused by corrupt gov.s, who use funds for personal or political gain instead of improving social + eco dev, leading to country being in debt
• donors often attach conditions to aid (tied aid) which require receiving country to implement certain policies that may not benefit a country’s needs
• aid often doesn’t reach poorer, R areas of country which need funds most
• ST aid (e.g. relief aid), although provides immediate help in crisis, doesn’t always contribute to sustainable dev. or address cause of poverty

Question 3

What is the most effective form of aid?

Answer 3

• bottom up aid, which is when local communities + NGOs aim to involve locals in planning, decision making + implementing aid programs
• effective bc empowers locals to work on sustainable projects that use appropriate technology
• e.g. WaterAid in Mali

Question 4

What is top down aid and why is it not as effective as bottom up aid?

Answer 4

• aid programmes led by gov.s, international organisations or large institutes that are capital intensive + often exclude direct input from locals
• means projects are poorly implemented + may not align w needs or priorities of community
• also encourages over-dependence on aid bc doesn’t empower local communities to sustain dev efforts