Comments on: Financial Crisis, Africa’s Permanent Damage, and Aid Effectiveness http://thekaufmannpost.net/financial-crisis-africas-permanent-damage-and-aid-effectiveness/ Transparency, corruption and governance matters, evidence-based Sat, 20 Mar 2010 15:55:43 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Jim Wesberry http://thekaufmannpost.net/financial-crisis-africas-permanent-damage-and-aid-effectiveness/comment-page-1/#comment-1340 Jim Wesberry Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:04:22 +0000 http://thekaufmannpost.net/?p=1155#comment-1340 The NYT story on Africa might well be written about Latin America as well. Anti-corruption commissions, agencies and movements are being eliminated or taken over by those who may be affected by them. The public's support for anti-corruption measures and programs has waned as other issues become dominant. Some IFI and bilateral anti-corruption project designs are being prepared by persons who have no idea what they are doing or experience in the field. Some political parties have taken over anti-corruptionprojects and/or the NGOs that run them. To top it off more time and money is spent on planning and evaluating projects than in fighting corruption through their execution. The war against corruption is being lost. The NYT story on Africa might well be written about Latin America as well. Anti-corruption commissions, agencies and movements are being eliminated or taken over by those who may be affected by them. The public’s support for anti-corruption measures and programs has waned as other issues become dominant. Some IFI and bilateral anti-corruption project designs are being prepared by persons who have no idea what they are doing or experience in the field. Some political parties have taken over anti-corruptionprojects and/or the NGOs that run them. To top it off more time and money is spent on planning and evaluating projects than in fighting corruption through their execution. The war against corruption is being lost.

]]> By: Kent Sjolund http://thekaufmannpost.net/financial-crisis-africas-permanent-damage-and-aid-effectiveness/comment-page-1/#comment-1339 Kent Sjolund Thu, 11 Jun 2009 01:52:24 +0000 http://thekaufmannpost.net/?p=1155#comment-1339 A true statement that there are problems on both sides. A classic "chicken or the egg." Do we let people suffer because we KNOW much of the aid is absorbed by a corrupt government? OR Do we give aid because we know that some portion of the aid will reach the popoulace but some will be stolen? The key is an HONEST and unbiased media--We are losing that fight here in the US and a balanced media has been dead and buried in central Africa for years. BOTTOMLINE; I believe independent NGOs do the best job of aleviating suffering but local potentates don't like them because there is nothing in it for them> A true statement that there are problems on both sides. A classic “chicken or the egg.”

Do we let people suffer because we KNOW much of the aid is absorbed by a corrupt government?
OR
Do we give aid because we know that some portion of the aid will reach the popoulace but some will be stolen?

The key is an HONEST and unbiased media–We are losing that fight here in the US and a balanced media has been dead and buried in central Africa for years.
BOTTOMLINE; I believe independent NGOs do the best job of aleviating suffering but local potentates don’t like them because there is nothing in it for them>

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