In her recent talk at UBC and in her book “Dead Aid“, Dambisa Moyo boldy states that:
In the past fifty years, more than $1 trillion in development-related aid has been transferred from rich countries to Africa. Has this assistance improved the lives of Africans? No. In fact, across the continent, the recipients of this aid are not better off as a result of it, but worse—much worse. [emphasis added]
To me, such a statement is too general to be helpful. Moreover, is it true in every case? How can we know? In Esther Duflo‘s compelling TED talk she illustrates a new and badly needed path for exploring these questions. Have a look. Is this what development research should look like today?
