Yep. The whole notion of "responsible" charitable giving presupposes that middle-class NGO-types are somehow better-placed to decide what's best for poor people than the poor people themselves.
"If I accept Give Responsibly’s assertion that Shaundre had chosen the unglamorous life of begging on the street instead of accessing the programmes offered by NGOs, then the microeconomic explanation for it is that the programmes are not as attractive an option as begging." City Press
>>><<<
"A couple of weeks later, when faced with more opportunities to give and share, the children were much more generous after their character had been praised than after their actions had been. Praising their character helped them internalize it as part of their identities. The children learned who they were from observing their own actions: I am a helpful person." New York Times
>>><<<
Violence in South Africa is horrendous, but getting better (and getting better faster for women, apparently). The Economist
"If I accept Give Responsibly’s assertion that Shaundre had chosen the unglamorous life of begging on the street instead of accessing the programmes offered by NGOs, then the microeconomic explanation for it is that the programmes are not as attractive an option as begging." City Press
>>><<<
"A couple of weeks later, when faced with more opportunities to give and share, the children were much more generous after their character had been praised than after their actions had been. Praising their character helped them internalize it as part of their identities. The children learned who they were from observing their own actions: I am a helpful person." New York Times
>>><<<
Violence in South Africa is horrendous, but getting better (and getting better faster for women, apparently). The Economist
Have you seen: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2013/08/23/214210692/the-charity-that-just-gives-money-to-poor-people?
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've read a fair bit about it. Apparently their aim is to set simply giving money as a "baseline". There are conceivably more effective ways to spend money than giving it to people individually - building a school, for example - but you should have to *demonstrate* that this is a better use.
Delete