I came across the article Aiding Is Abetting by Dambisa Moyo today, and it gave me a completely new outlook on the a possible source of some problems in Africa. Moyo is a Harvard graduate, and she writes about how, ironically, all the aid that we send to the region might actually be hurting its economy more than helping it; "tyrants like Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe (three hundred million dollars in foreign aid was sent to Mugabe in 2006 alone) often pilfer the money and buy foreign goods, or stow it in foreign bank accounts where it does nothing to help the country". Systematic western aid, she argues, has essentially turned Africa into one giant welfare state, and she gives the following example: if we send over 100,000 mosquito nets, this act of generosity could actually put a prospective mosquito net seller/maker out of business.
Surprisingly, she also adds that her view is actually very common in Africa...while we've heard nothing about it in the West. If we reduce the amount of aid we give to Africa, will its development and economy suddenly spike up, or is the process more complicated than just that?
