Harry Cassin
Publisher and Editor
Andy Spalding
Senior Editor
Jessica Tillipman
Senior Editor
Bill Steinman
Senior Editor
Richard L. Cassin
Editor at Large
Elizabeth K. Spahn
Editor Emeritus
Cody Worthington
Contributing Editor
Julie DiMauro
Contributing Editor
Thomas Fox
Contributing Editor
Marc Alain Bohn
Contributing Editor
Bill Waite
Contributing Editor
Shruti J. Shah
Contributing Editor
Russell A. Stamets
Contributing Editor
Richard Bistrong
Contributing Editor
Eric Carlson
Contributing Editor
The Independent Commission for Aid Impact scrutinizes the spending of the UK’s £11.5 billion ($18.4 billion) overseas development assistance budget. The aid budget, which is the second largest after that of the United States, has been expanded to reach .71% of GDP and represents a genuine achievement for the current coalition government in difficult financial times.… Continue Reading
Economist Vito Tanzi once said that when rules can be used to extract bribes, more rules will be created. And when more rules appear, more bribes will be needed to bargain down the red tape, and so on.… Continue Reading
The International Finance Corporation and the World Bank released their new Doing Business Index this week. It’s the 11th annual report measuring business regulations for local firms — how easy or hard it is to do business in the countries surveyed.… Continue Reading
In the prior post, I talked about steps governments in East Africa can take to lift the natural resource curse that plagues the region. Let’s look now at how extractive companies and foreign governments can also help make life better for millions of people.… Continue Reading
U.S. Army Pfc. Jordan Adams provides security from a hilltop in Bagram in Afghanistan’s Parwan province, Sept. 7, 2013. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Alexander NaylorDespite spending $96 billion in reconstruction aid in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led… Continue Reading
The New York Times reported this week that, for more than a decade, the CIA allegedly has been bringing suitcases stuffed with cash to the offices of Afghan president Hamid Karzai (pictured left).… Continue Reading
“A little more than forty years ago, an observation was made that foreign aid was aid from the poor people of the rich countries to the rich people of the poor countries.… Continue Reading
Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs said the government of Uganda will repay €4 million that was diverted from an Irish aid package.
A report by the Irish Examiner said the Prime Minister of Uganda Patrick Amama Mbabazi ‘denied any knowledge of the fraud through his office and insisted none of the missing money was ever paid to him.’… Continue Reading
I am one of those Africans who strongly believe that aid achieves very little of its intended objectives and fuels, among others, dependency and corruption. Dependency, of course, is a bad thing as it demotivates governments from developing local capacity.… Continue Reading
Not everyone agrees that aid creates poverty. But we thought of the aid-to-poverty cycle this week.
A World Bank report said about $130 million in aid to the Somalia transitional government between 2009 and 2010 is missing.… Continue Reading
Eighteen senior government officials from Afghanistan will receive anti-corruption training in Singapore through an international aid package.
A report last week by Channel News Asia said the week-long training program is part of a $1 million technical assistance package that Singapore pledged at the International Conference on Reconstruction Assistance to Afghanistan.… Continue Reading
Does foreign aid cause corruption? Yes, mainly by helping corrupt regimes stay in power. And because corrupt regimes are the most unstable, aid also fuels civil unrest.
Here are the top ten U.S.… Continue Reading
