RSS 2.0 FeedWorld Bank Admits It’s Anti-Poverty Programs Don’t Work
by Doug MataconisAn internal investigation at the World Bank has revealed that the Bank’s anti-poverty programs are a failure:
NEW YORK, Dec. 7 — Despite an intensified campaign against poverty, World Bank programs have failed to lift incomes in many poor countries over the past decade, leaving tens of millions of people suffering stagnating and even declining living standards, according to a report released Thursday by the bank’s autonomous assessment arm.
Among 25 poor countries probed in detail by the bank’s Independent Evaluation Group, only 11 saw reductions in poverty between the mid-1990s and the early 2000s, while the other 14 suffered the same or worse rates over that term. The group said the sample was representative of the global picture.
So throwing money at a problem doesn’t solve it. Where have we heard that one before ?
And their solution? Throw more money at it.
Comment by Wulf — December 7, 2006 @ 5:29 pmI thought you’d be interested in reading more about the public’s say in this issue. It’s not that Americans don’t like helping out internationally – they do. But they prefer specific projects to broad goals, and they don’t see it as a moral obligation or as a way of making us safer.
Comment by William — December 8, 2006 @ 12:45 pmhttp://www.publicagenda.org/foreignpolicy/foreignpolicy_aid.htm