We give away a lot of money. That’s what good people do. We use our resources to help the neediest people all over the world survive.
This year, congress approved $2.5 billion for poverty-focused development assistance. With the urgency we’re facing in reducing the national debt, it makes sense to take a hard look at whether all of the money we spend to help others is making a difference.
Ester Duflo is an economist from MIT who does just that. She evaluates social programs to determine their effectiveness. Giving money to the poor is nothing new. Seeing what happens afterwards is.
“If we don’t know if we are doing any good, we are no better than the mid-evil doctors and their leeches.”
Ester shares her point of view and then gets to work on the question:
“Has aid given in the past made a difference in saving lives or breaking the cycle of poverty?”
More money is not always the answer. How blessed we are to have brilliant people working on complicated social issues. May the day come soon when all of God’s children can support themselves.
