Surbhi Bharadwaj

GWWC Team

A widespread critique of international charity and foreign aid is that it undermines state institutions and nonprofits in the recipient country, creating a long-term dependency on "handouts.'' The history of foreign aid is fraught and marked by missteps. Yet such a sweeping narrative does not tell the whole story.

By supporting effective aid organisations that prioritise evidence-based interventions and empower local communities in recipient countries, we can reduce the misallocation of aid, spur growth, and reduce low-income countries’ reliance on foreign aid in the long term.

Does aid make low-income countries dependent on handouts?

This article is part of a series addressing 

A widespread critique of international charity and foreign aid is that it undermines state institutions and nonprofits in the recipient country, creating a long-term dependency on "

 and marked by missteps. Yet such a sweeping narrative does not tell the whole story of foreign aid's 

 on lifting millions out of poverty, nor does it speak to the concerted efforts by effective aid organisations to equip local institutions to become self-sufficient.

By supporting effective aid organisations that prioritise evidence-based interventions and empower local communities in recipient countries, we can reduce the misallocation of aid, spur growth, and reduce low-income countries' reliance on foreign aid in the long term.

The critique that international charity and aid make low-income countries dependent on "handouts" 

 the thinking that, if foreign aid constitutes a significant portion of a country's national budget, that country becomes accountable to its foreign donors, rather than its citizens. Countries that aren't accountable to their citizens may be less incentivised to deliver basic goods and services. As a result, public institutions can be weakened, poverty can increase, a vicious cycle can arise from political expediency and aid dependency. Similarly, 

 that international charity and aid "crowd out" local organisations (including both businesses and nonprofits) from serving people in need. If those organisations collapse from a lack of need and support, the recipient country can become even more dependent on foreign aid.

However, such dependency is not an inevitable consequence of international charity and aid. Dependency arises when aid is 

 that hinder long-term local development.

 towards well-designed and well-researched interventions can 

 recipient communities. In the lowest-income countries, local organisations often do not have the resources they need. Effective international charity and aid can act as a helping hand to equip local governments and institutions to provide interventions independently. This is in contrast to the prevailing narrative that international aid organisations "crowd out" local organisations and government systems.

Here are some organisations working to set up systems that support local communities, rather than making them dependent on aid:

The distribution of drugs to fight neglected tropical diseases not only improves health, but leads to greater levels of education and wealth. 

 set up these programs to be taken over by national health departments in a sustainable way, leading to decreased dependency on aid over time.

 help governments to fortify staple foods with micronutrients. Once the standards and processes are set up, there is no need for any continued "handouts."

 helps local governments and NGOs to treat and prevent neglected tropical diseases by providing funding and technical assistance.

 provides unconditional cash transfers directly to those who need it most. According to their research, recipients spend their money on essentials like medicine, farmed animals, and school fees. These investments can stimulate economic growth and strengthen institutions in recipients' communities.

 supports government-run vitamin A supplementation programs by providing advocacy, technical support, and funding.

You can channel funds to low-income countries in a highly effective manner and reduce their long-term dependence on foreign aid by donating to one of many 

 that are working to improve lives and support local institutions. Consider making a 

 of like-minded people who are working to make the world a better place.

Common Concerns About Donating to Charity

A widespread critique of international charity and foreign aid is that it undermines state institutions and nonprofits in the recipient country, creating a long-term dependency on "handouts.'' The history of foreign aid is fraught and marked by missteps. Yet such a sweeping narrative does not tell the whole story.

By supporting effective aid organisations that prioritise evidence-based interventions and empower local communities in recipient countries, we can reduce the misallocation of aid, spur growth, and reduce low-income countries’ reliance on foreign aid in the long term.

Andrew Leeke

Effective animal advocates also care about other groups of animals, including the dogs, cats, and other animals we keep as pets, and those that live in shelters or in our streets. However, advocates are likely to prioritise intervening in factory farms and the wild first, because the scale of those problems is enormous, and the causes are relatively tractable and quite underfunded.

Do effective animal advocates only care about farmed animals?

Animal advocates in the effective altruism movement (or “effective animal advocates”) typically care a great deal about farmed animals. Globally, about 

 animals are farmed for food each year, mostly in factory farms. In the U.S., 99% of animals used for food live in these industrial complexes. The high number of farmed animals, together with the relative tractability of reducing suffering that is caused by humans in the first place, makes farmed animal advocacy a high-impact cause area.

However, effective animal advocates don’t 

 care about farmed animals. They also care about wild animals who suffer due to human activities or nature’s indifference, domestic animals in shelters, animals in labs, animals used in entertainment, and so on.

Farmed animal advocacy is an attractive cause area for effective altruists, who generally prioritise their work according to 

. There's no denying that the scale of farmed animal suffering is enormous.

 land animals are slaughtered in factory farms. Most factory farmed animals live awful lives. They:

 to grow larger than they naturally would (sometimes their legs cannot support their bodies)

Advocating for farmed animals is more tractable than advocating for certain other groups of animals, because the suffering of farmed animals is inflicted by humans. If humans can cause so much suffering, we should presumably be able to stop!

There's also a great need for more funding and advocacy and on behalf of farmed animals. In the U.S., only about 

 of charitable contributions support animals and the environment, combined. Of that amount, the 

 of animal charity donations support animal shelters, though animals in shelters are vastly outnumbered by other groups.

However, effective animal advocates don't just care about farmed animals. Another burgeoning area of interest is helping wild animals. With countless animals suffering in the wild, the project of helping wild animals is even larger-in-scale than advocating for farmed animals. It's also in greater need of funding and other resources.

Like farmed animals, many wild animals suffer because of human activity. For instance, 

 fish in the wild are caught and killed by humans each year. Fish caught by 

 are chased to exhaustion, goaded into industrial nets, and compressed and suffocated 

. Ending (or reducing) fish trawling would be a relatively tractable way to help a lot of animals.

Of course, not all suffering in the wild is caused by humans. Many wild animals suffer from disease, parasites, hunger, dehydration, stress and anxiety, accident and injury, extreme weather and habitat destruction, predation and premature death. Whether we can alleviate this suffering, and how we may be able to intervene, is an area of 

 in the effective animal advocacy community.

donating to highly-impactful organisations working to improve animal welfare

Surbhi is a member of Giving What We Can. She works as a management consultant in New York City and received her bachelor's degree in development economics and statistics from Yale University. She grew up in India and is especially interested in expanding the reach of 

Surbhi is a member of Giving What We Can and works as a management consultant in New York City.

Surbhi Bharadwaj

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Articles

Does aid make low-income countries dependent on handouts?

Do effective animal advocates only care about farmed animals?