should rich nations help the poor essay

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Why should rich nations help the poor? Because, morally, it is the right thing to do

800 million people went to bed hungry last night and 19,000 children will die today of easily preventable causes. Foreign aid alone isn’t the answer says David Hulme and the fixation with it means we miss more effective ways to promote development.

Over the last few years, UK aid has acted as a lightning rod for criticism as it has risen to meet the international target of 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI), while other government spending has been subject to significant reductions.

The Daily Mail in particular has aggressively pursued a campaign against the aid budget and mobilised 230,000 supporters to sign a parliamentary petition calling for the 0.7% target to be scrapped as they claim it results in “huge waste and corruption”. The petition was recently debated by a packed room of MPs, the vast majority of whom lined up to defend UK aid spending, highlighting the positive impact it makes around the world.

UK aid is some of the most closely scrutinised in the world, by various parliamentary committees and independent external bodies. The Department for International Development is a leader in aid effectiveness and transparency, which helps drive up the standards of less progressive donors. And while the £12 billion annual aid budget is certainly a significant sum, it represents just 16p in every £10 of government spending. Collectively, we throw away much more in food waste (an estimated £19 billion) than we spend in aid.

However, I’m concerned that the apparent fixation we have on the aid budget in the UK means we’re ignoring even more effective ways to help poorer nations.

Foreign aid doesn’t equal development

The idea that development can be achieved largely through foreign aid alone has been discredited. Countries that have experienced significant improvements in the well-being of their population in recent years have largely achieved this through engaging with markets and international trade, boosted by the end of the Cold War, China’s return to the global economy and favourable commodity prices. The creation and diffusion of relatively simple technical knowledge about health, hygiene, nutrition, organization and technologies has also played an important role.  While effectively given aid, provided in the right context can provide vital assistance to people in need, it cannot ‘create’ development for whole societies.

If the UK and other rich nations are serious about helping to catalyse development across the world, there are five key policy areas that require urgent attention, which I explore in depth in my new book ‘ Should Rich Nations Help the Poor’ :

• Reform international trade policies so that poor countries and poor people can gain a greater share of the benefits derived from trade.
• Recognize international migration as an element of trade policy and a highly effective means of reducing poverty.
• Take action against climate change (mitigation and supporting adaptation) and take responsibility for the historical role of rich nations in creating global warming.
• Reform global finance to stop the siphoning off of income and assets from poor countries to rich countries by corporations and national elites.
• Limit the arms trade to fragile countries and regions and carefully consider support for military action (budgets, technology and even ‘feet on the ground’) in specific cases, such as the successful Operation Palliser in Sierra Leone.

Policy coherence lacking

This holistic approach to global development is the type of response envisaged by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which the UK signed up to just last September. However a recent report by the cross-party International Development Select Committee of MPs was highly critical of the lack of any sort of joined up thinking across government on key aspects of the 17 goals.

In strident tones, the report highlights “a fundamental absence of commitment to the coherent implementation of the SDGs across government.”  Without a proper cross government strategy, they fear “it is likely that areas of deep incoherence across government policy could develop, and progress made by certain departments could be easily undermined by the policies and actions of others.” A formal mechanism to ensure policy coherence across Whitehall is called for.

Many of the SDGs are inherently political, calling for reductions in inequality, improvements in governance and for gender equality. In many areas, national ownership by citizens and state are vital. However in other issues that go beyond aid, there’s a clear agenda for action by countries of the Global North. But it’s precisely these issues, such as international tax and trade reforms, which will be hampered without clear commitment and coordination across governments like the UK. If we continue to focus on aid alone as a proxy for development, it’s also these issues that won’t receive the attention they deserve from policymakers.

From climate change to spiralling inequality, given the challenges the world faces it’s both morally right and in our own self-interests for rich nations like the UK to help the poor. But if we’re unable to move beyond aid and properly consider the most effective ways we can help poor countries, we’ll leave a world to our children and grandchildren that’s more unstable, less secure and with more people mired in poverty than there needs to be.

About David Hulme

Professor of Development Studies Executive Director, Global Development Institute CEO, Effective States and Inclusive Development Research Centre

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Wealthy Nations Should Assist Poorer Countries with Humanitarian Relief During Natural Disasters - IELTS Essay

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Model Essay 1

The imperative for affluent nations to extend humanitarian aid to their less fortunate counterparts in the wake of natural calamities is a topic of considerable ethical import. I firmly believe in the obligation of wealthier countries to offer such support, predicated on principles of global solidarity and the tangible benefits of fostering stability and resilience. This essay will elucidate the moral imperative and the pragmatic advantages of this stance.

Firstly, the moral argument for assistance is grounded in the concept of global citizenship, where humanity's collective welfare transcends national borders. Wealthy nations, equipped with ample resources, have a duty to mitigate the suffering caused by natural disasters in poorer countries. This not only exemplifies compassion and empathy but also reinforces a sense of global unity. For instance, the international response to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami showcased how concerted relief efforts can alleviate human suffering significantly, underlining the potential of international solidarity in times of crisis.

Moreover, from a pragmatic perspective, aiding countries in distress fosters global stability and economic development. Disasters can exacerbate underlying vulnerabilities, leading to socio-economic downturns that affect global markets. By assisting in the immediate aftermath and contributing to rebuilding efforts, wealthier nations can help ensure that affected countries rebound more swiftly, thus stabilizing regional economies and by extension, the global economic landscape. The rebuilding of Haiti post the 2010 earthquake, heavily supported by international aid, illustrates how such endeavors contribute to the stabilization of affected nations, indirectly benefiting donor countries through enhanced global economic stability and security.

In conclusion, the rationale for wealthier nations to assist poorer ones during natural disasters is twofold: it is a moral imperative rooted in a sense of global community and a practical strategy for promoting worldwide stability and prosperity. This dual perspective not only highlights the inherent duty of wealthier nations but also underscores the mutual benefits derived from such humanitarian acts.

Model Essay 2

The proposition that wealthy nations should provide humanitarian aid to poorer countries during natural disasters is not merely an act of charity, but a cornerstone of international responsibility and mutual benefit. This essay advocates strongly for such assistance, emphasizing the dual rationale of ethical duty and strategic self-interest for affluent countries. The forthcoming discussion will delve into these facets, illustrating the imperative for and advantages of global solidarity in disaster response.

The ethical dimension of this debate hinges on the principle of shared humanity. Prosperous nations, by virtue of their resources and technological advancements, hold a unique position to alleviate the human cost of natural catastrophes in less affluent regions. This responsibility stems not from benevolence but from an acknowledgment of a shared destiny. The aid rendered to Nepal during the 2015 earthquake by countries far and wide serves as a poignant example of how the international community can mobilize to support recovery, underscoring the premise that compassion knows no borders.

Strategically, the extension of aid is a sound investment in global stability and security. Disasters do not respect national boundaries, and their aftermath can precipitate regional conflicts, migration crises, and economic downturns that have far-reaching implications. By intervening promptly and effectively, wealthy countries can help mitigate these risks, ensuring a quicker path to recovery and stability. The support given to Indonesia following the 2018 tsunami by international partners not only facilitated immediate relief but also helped prevent a longer-term humanitarian and economic crisis, showcasing the interconnected nature of our global system.

In summary, the argument for affluent nations aiding poorer counterparts in the aftermath of natural disasters is compelling both on moral grounds and as a matter of enlightened self-interest. It embodies a recognition of our collective humanity and the interlinked fate that binds us across geographical and economic divides.

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Ielts writing task 2 sample 608 - rich nations should help poor countries with their basic needs, ielts writing task 2/ ielts essay:, some people say that rich nations should help poor countries with their basic needs like food and education while others oppose the idea and argue that the poor nation themselves should try to improve their condition. do you agree with the idea that rich and developed nations should help the poor nations.

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Should Rich Nations Help The Poor?

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• Foreign Aid Social Sciences 100%
• Social Norms Psychology 100%
• USA Social Sciences 50%
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• Environmental Policy Social Sciences 50%
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T1 - Should Rich Nations Help The Poor?

AU - Hulme, David

N2 - In the past decade, the developed world has spent almost US$ 2 trillion on foreign aid for poorer countries. Yet 1.2 billion people still live in extreme poverty and around 2.9 billion cannot meet their basic human needs.But should rich nations continue to help the poor? In this short book, leading global poverty analyst David Hulme explains why helping the world’s neediest communities is both the right thing to do and the wise thing to do Ð if rich nations want to take care of their own citizens’ future welfare.The real question is how best to provide this help. The way forward, Hulme argues, is not conventional foreign aid but trade, finance and environmental policy reform. But this must happen alongside a change in international social norms so that we all recognise the collective benefits of a poverty-free world.

AB - In the past decade, the developed world has spent almost US$ 2 trillion on foreign aid for poorer countries. Yet 1.2 billion people still live in extreme poverty and around 2.9 billion cannot meet their basic human needs.But should rich nations continue to help the poor? In this short book, leading global poverty analyst David Hulme explains why helping the world’s neediest communities is both the right thing to do and the wise thing to do Ð if rich nations want to take care of their own citizens’ future welfare.The real question is how best to provide this help. The way forward, Hulme argues, is not conventional foreign aid but trade, finance and environmental policy reform. But this must happen alongside a change in international social norms so that we all recognise the collective benefits of a poverty-free world.

SN - 9780745686066

SN - 9780745686059

T3 - Global Futures

BT - Should Rich Nations Help The Poor?

PB - Polity

CY - Cambridge, England

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Why Wealthy Countries Must Step Up Their Contribution to Fight Global Poverty

Ferid Belhaj

Member countries of the International Development Association (IDA), a part of the World Bank Group, are meeting shortly to discuss the 19th replenishment of IDA, which will set the agenda for assistance to the poorest developing countries for the three-year period starting in July 2020. Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia contributed funds for the 18th replenishment for IDA, which covers the period July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2020. It is critical that these countries — and others in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region who could potentially contribute — sustain and increase their presence and participation in this important international forum and support a global public good.

This coming IDA replenishment is an opportunity for MENA countries to make their contribution and presence felt. Starting in 2020, MENA will be the epicentre of several global discussions and events: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is hosting the G20 members, Egypt is the chair of the African Union, the first World Expo in the region will be held in Dubai, the 2021 World Bank-IMF Annual Meetings will take place in Marrakech, and the region will see its first soccer World Cup in Doha in 2022. While these events are significant in their own right, a substantially higher financial contribution from MENA countries to IDA will demonstrate the region’s capacity to lead on long-term global challenges such as poverty reduction, inclusive growth, and climate change.

IDA was created in 1960 to provide 'soft-loans' — grant funding, concessional loans, debt relief — to the poorest developing countries who could not afford to borrow on the terms that could be offered by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). IDA has become one of the largest sources of assistance for the world’s 77 poorest countries and the foremost instrument to channel multilateral funding where it is needed the most and in the quickest and most efficient way possible. There is no bigger source of donor funds for basic services in these countries.

Since 1960, IDA has provided almost $400 billion for investments in over 100 countries. IDA’s support has paved the way toward equality, economic growth, job creation, higher incomes, and better living conditions. IDA's work covers primary education, basic health services, clean water and sanitation, agriculture, business climate improvements, infrastructure, and institutional reforms. More recently, IDA has intervened in a big way to bring hope to people affected by conflict and violence, including in the MENA region. Of course, IDA is now prioritizing investments to deal with the worst impacts of climate change.

Since 2000, IDA has provided more than $88 billion in financial assistance to Arab and Muslim countries. In IDA18, more than 50% of the resources were allocated to 28-member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali are among the biggest beneficiaries of IDA. In the MENA region, Djibouti, Syria, and Yemen are IDA beneficiaries.

In Yemen, through its many contributions, IDA has played a critical role to provide relief and mitigate the long-lasting impacts of the country’s tragic conflict. Quite literally, IDA has saved lives! It has helped Yemenis fight diseases and famine. IDA helped train nearly 12,000 health personnel and immunize 6.9 million children (five million of them under 5 years old). Through an emergency program, IDA has helped ensure around 9 million vulnerable Yemenis have access to food and other basic necessities.

In Djibouti, from 2014–18, IDA provided essential services to 1.9 million people. Thousands of pregnant and lactating women, adolescent girls, and children under age 5 benefited from basic nutrition services. During the same period, over 24,000 women gave birth attended by a qualified health practitioner, up from just 1,000. IDA also helped immunize 78% of children before their first birthday in 2018, up from 33% in 2012.

The conflict in Syria, now into its eighth year, continues to take a heavy toll on the life of Syrian people and on the Syrian economy. The death toll in Syria directly related to the conflict as of early 2016 is estimated to be between 400,000 (UN, Apr 2016) and 470,000 (Syrian Center for Policy Research, Feb 2016), with many more injured, and lives upheaved. The conflict has internally displaced about 6.2 million people, including 2.5 million children. Over 5.6 million are officially registered as refugees (UNHCR, 2019). In Lebanon, IDA is helping the country enrol 200,000 Syrian children in public schools. In Jordan, IDA assistance is creating 100,000 jobs for Jordanian nationals and Syrian refugees.

Beyond the MENA region, from the conflict ravaged Democratic Republic of Congo to the earthquake affected Pakistan, or from Haiti and Nepal to Tajikistan and Myanmar, IDA is a strong development partner for the poorest countries. Building on its experience of supporting Syrian refugees and host communities, IDA has helped reintegrate displaced people in more than 10 countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Niger, and Pakistan.

International institutions, of which IDA is a recognized leader, remain important for some of the most lagging regions and communities in the world. Independent assessments have documented the tremendous benefits of IDA’s support for the development of poor countries. Many people are unaware that countries such as China, India, and South Korea were beneficiaries of IDA assistance in the past, but now they have become donors giving back to the international community.

Institutions like IDA deserve our utmost support because when misfortune strikes countries, the knowledge and financial resources of institutions such as IDA can save, protect, and nurture lives. These institutions can provide ideas for development strategies and funds for critical infrastructure. To eliminate extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity, institutions like IDA are a valuable ally for governments and citizens.

The World Bank Group is grateful for generous financial contributions to IDA from the international donor community. However, I believe that the more fortunate MENA countries can and must enhance their contribution to IDA. Some countries in the MENA region are among the wealthiest in the world. Their good fortune presents an opportunity for the MENA region to take on a leadership role in this important forum. It is also a wonderful opportunity to help those in need, which is fully in line with the region’s rich history of generosity towards the less fortunate.

IDA has a critical global mission — and its successes to date are only possible because of the generosity of its members. More substantial financial contributions to IDA are good for MENA’s standing in the international community. It is also the right thing to do.

* Ferid Belhaj is Vice President, Middle East and North Africa Region, The World Bank

Should the Rich Countries Help the Poor? How could they do so?

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Although the gap in income per head in the rich countries and the poor countries may be an economic problem, its causation and solution extends beyond the narrow borders of economics into the domain of other social and human sciences, such as politics, ethics, demography and humanism.

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The Poor and the Rich

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Economides, C. (1972). Should the Rich Countries Help the Poor? How could they do so?. In: Ranis, G. (eds) The Gap Between Rich and Poor Nations. International Economic Association. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-15456-2_7

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Environment & Urbanization

World leading environmental and urban studies journal, search form, should rich nations help the poor.

“Almost 3 billion people are deprived of at least one basic human need: lack of access to food, drinking water, shelter, basic health services” and “some 19,000 children will die today of easily preventable causes” (page 2). Faced with such statistics in an affluent world, David Hulme tackles a critical question in Should Rich Nations Help the Poor? Across five chapters he argues that we should help the distant poor to achieve prosperity and human development not only out of moral duty, but also out of the pursuit of self-interest for our children and grandchildren (page 5).

Hulme acknowledges his academic colleagues and students at the University of Manchester’s Global Development Institute (GDI) for providing the intellectual base and academic stimulation for this essay. Written in an accessible manner, Should Rich Nations Help the Poor? discusses the limits of foreign aid, alternative policy solutions, the significance of climate change and inequality, and how to forge a genuine global partnership. Hulme addresses this complex topic with clarity and provides a platform for further discussion about future development initiatives. The book is therefore a good resource for development practitioners, planners and policymakers and laypersons questioning the future role of rich nations to help relieve inequality and poverty amongst the distant poor.

Chapter 1, “Why Worry about the Distant Poor?”, lays the foundation for this short book. Hulme identifies who the poor are, how rich nations have helped the poor for the wrong reasons, and the potential of a global partnership for development (Goal 8 of the Millennium Development Goals). He also identifies another important question: “What are the best ways for rich nations to help the poor?”

“The Limits of Foreign Aid” is the topic of Chapter 2. Here Hulme discusses how we can improve both foreign aid and the activities of international development agencies (page 31). To do this he first explores the quantity versus quality of foreign aid, the fundamental question “Does aid work?” (page 39), and how aid has been transformed recently by “mega-wealthy trusts such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation” (page 45). Critically, despite its shortcomings Hulme still upholds aid as part of the solution meanwhile advocating for complementary policy changes to affect the “big picture” (page 53).

Chapter 3, “What Can Be Done?”, looks in detail at what policy changes rich nations can pursue to incorporate poorer nations into contemporary capitalism and promote equitable and sustainable economic growth. Concomitantly, Hulme acknowledges that these are harder to advance “as they confront the vested interests of economically and politically powerful groups in rich nations” (page 54).

In Chapter 4, Hulme examines how climate change and inequality are starting to limit success and the threat they pose for development. He notes how the negative consequences of climate change have become a global priority and states two key ways climate change reshapes how we tackle poverty (page 92). Furthermore, Hulme discusses the converging arguments about the negative impacts of rising inequality.

To conclude, Chapter 5, “From Broken Promises to Global Partnership”, proposes five main policy domains that need re-engineering for inclusive development for all humankind. It fundamentally suggests how change can happen and also highlights once again the key reasons – both ethical and out of self-interest – “why the citizens and leaders of rich nations should take action to help poorer nations” (page 122).

Book note prepared by Hannah Keren Lee

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Band 8+: Wealthy nations should assist poorer countries with humanitarian relief during natural disasters. Do you agree or disagree?

It is argued that during a natural disaster, rich countries should help the poor nations with charitable relief. This essay agrees with this statement because this act of humanity will show the fulfillment of moral responsibilities, which will lead to global stability and security.

To begin with, the support of wealthy nations represents the importance of moral values and responsibilities. At the time of a natural disaster, poor countries possess no recovery plans and don’t have enough resources, which leads to more destruction and several death rates. Rich countries can assist them with humanitarian relief, which shows their moral beliefs and commitments to basic humanity to the whole world. For instance, Pakistan faced a lot of destruction due to a massive flood in 2018, and the country was also facing an economic crisis and inflation. To assist them, China released a relief program for Pakistan and sent numerous camps, food items, beverages, and fulfilled basic needs. This remarkable act of humanity shows globally how China showed empathy toward poor countries.

Moreover, helping needy countries manage global stability and security. When a country faces natural circumstances, it ultimately affects their import and export systems and their regular affairs. This situation affects those countries that are interconnected; hence, they need to survive with a lot of shortages caused by the termination of trade. However, if wealthy nations help affected countries recover faster, it will help them continue their trading systems. It will build a strong relationship with them. In 2014, due to a natural disaster, a huge number of fields were destroyed in many areas of Sri Lanka, which eliminated their exports; however, Malaysia provided different resources to relieve them. Hence, very soon Sri Lanka managed to produce more healthy fields with the given financial aid and started their export system again.

To conclude, at the time of disasters, wealthy nations play a vital role in assisting the needy countries. This act of kindness sets an example for the world, which shows the importance of ethical values. Furthermore, helping poor countries gives global stability and security, and it also helps in making good relationships with other countries.

Check Your Own Essay On This Topic?

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Some argue that affluent nations should provide humanitarian aid to less developed countries when natural disasters occur. In this essay, I strongly agree with sending assistance to these countries because it fulfills a global mandate and strengthens diplomatic relationships. Developed countries that are members of the United Nations should adhere to the established mandate of […]

There is a heated argument about whether richer countries should provide humanitarian aid to poorer ones while they are experiencing natural disasters. This essay agrees with the proposal for two main reasons: firstly, it is moral for nations to help each other out; secondly, it will affect the developed state’s reputation. Consider the first point: […]

It is often argued that rich countries should provide grants to developing countries should provide grants to developing countries during unforseen circumstances. I completely agree with this statement. The following essay will discuss about that and provides some justifications. On the one hand, there are many reasons that demonstrate developed countries should help poor countries. […]

Humanitarian relief must provided by the financially stable countries to the developing countries facing natural disaster. This essay agrees with the statement because it is a global responsibility and their help will save world from future demage. Developed nations who chould do so should help the financially unstable countries that need help while having natural […]

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IELTS Writing Prediction Questions for 2024

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Should wealthy nations be required to share their wealth among poorer nations by providing such things as food and education? Or, is it the responsibilities of the governments of poorer nations to look after their citizens themselves? OR

Some people say that rich nations should help poor countries with their basic needs like food and education while others oppose the idea and argue that the poor nation themselves should try to improve their condition. Do you agree with the idea that rich and developed nations should help the poor nations?

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Recent decades have witnessed tremendous economic development; however, the gap between the richest and poorest nations remains considerable. Some people argue that developed nations should assist underdeveloped ones with food and education. Alternatively, others believe it is best for the leaders of the poorer countries to solve their problems on their own.

We cannot deny that assistance to a poor country from a wealthy one could benefit both countries. For instance, providing aid might lead to better trade and diplomatic relationships. Wealthy nations may also benefit from access to natural resources, attractive investment opportunities, or even allies in security issues. Apart from being favourable, wealthy nations should help because many owe their prosperity to poorer nations from past exploitation, slavery, and colonialism. Needless to say, returning some wealth to the countries it was ‘stolen’ from would be beneficial and the right thing to do.

In contrast, some people believe that poorer nations should solve their own problems. They point out that such countries should avoid interference from wealthy countries because they must maintain independence. For example, a poor nation may lose the freedom to make some decisions and grow to depend on the aid they receive. Some argue that aid can lead to exploitation, and wealthy nations may take advantage of access to resources or use the threat of stopping aid as a way to gain power.

In conclusion, arguments can be made that assistance from a wealthy nation could be mutually beneficial as well as appropriate justice for past acts. However, it may also be said that poorer nations would benefit most from acting independently and not being in debt to wealthier ones. In my view, poorer nations should seek out aid because it may be the best chance for them to develop and catch up with those that are more advanced.

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I. Introduction A. Context statement 1. Great worldy wealth, but still large gap between rich and poor B. Competing Views 1. Wealthy nations should help 2. Poor nations should help themselves

II. Yes, should help A. Would benefit both sides 1. Open trade and diplomacy 2. Access to resources and investment opportunities B. Payback/Reparations 1. Many wealthy nations owe from past exploitation 2. Helpful and provides justice

III. No, poor nations should solve A. Maintain independence 1. Keep freedom to make decisions 2. Avoid reliance on aid B. Protect against future exploitation 1. Wealthy nations may take too many resources 2. May use stopping aid as a threat

IV. Conclusion A. Summarize… B. Opinion…yes, should help because it is the best chance to catch up

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World Hunger: A Moral Response

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This article explores whether or not people have a moral obligation to feed poor nations from several different aspects.">

Between now and tomorrow morning, 40,000 children will starve to death. The day after tomorrow, 40,000 more children will die, and so on throughout 1992. In a "world of plenty," the number of human beings dying or suffering from hunger, malnutrition, and hunger-related diseases is staggering. According to the World Bank, over 1 billion people—at least one quarter of the world's population—live in poverty. Over half of these people live in South Asia; most of the remainder in sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia.

The contrast between these peoples and the populations of rich nations is a stark one. In the poor nations of South Asia, the mortality rate among children under the age of 5 is more than 170 deaths per thousand, while in Sweden it is fewer than 10. In sub-Saharan Africa, life expectancy is 50 years, while in Japan it is 80.

These contrasts raise the question of whether people living in rich nations have a moral obligation to aid those in poor nations. Currently, less than 1/2 of 1% of the total world gross national product is devoted to aiding poverty-stricken nations. In 1988, the amount of aid from the U S. amounted to only 0.21% of its GNP. In 1990, the World Bank urged the international community to increase aid to poor countries to 0.7% of their GNP. If this goal is reached, poverty could be reduced by as much as 40% by the end of this decade. What is the extent of our duty to poor nations?

We Have No Obligation to Aid Poor Nations Some ethicists argue that rich nations have no obligation to aid poor nations. Our moral duty, they claim, is always to act in ways that will maximize human happiness and minimize human suffering. In the long run, aiding poor nations will produce far more suffering than it will alleviate. Nations with the highest incidence of poverty also have the highest birthrates. One report estimates that more than 90% of the world's total population growth between now and the year 2025 will occur in developing countries. Providing aid to people in such countries will only allow more of them to survive and reproduce, placing ever greater demands on the world's limited food supply. And as the populations of these countries swell, more people will be forced onto marginal and environmentally fragile lands, leading to widespread land degradation, further reducing the land available for food production. The increase in demands on the limited food supply combined with a decrease in the production of food will threaten the survival of future generations of all peoples, rich and poor.

Others claim that, even in the short-run, little benefit is derived from aiding poor nations. Aid sent to developing countries rarely reaches the people it was intended to benefit. Instead, it is used by oppressive governments to subsidize their military or spent on projects that benefit local elites, or ends up on the black market. Between 1978 and 1984, more than 80% of 596 million of food aid sent to Somalia went to the military and other public institutions. In El Salvador, 80% of U.S. aid in dry milk ended up on the black market. Furthermore, giving aid to poor countries undermines any incentive on the part of these countries to become self-sufficient through programs that would benefit the poor, such as those that would increase food production or control population growth. Food aid, for example, depresses local food prices, discouraging local food production and agricultural development. Poor dairy farmers in El Salvador have found themselves competing against free milk from the U.S. As a result of aid, many countries, such as Haiti, Sudan, and Zaire, have become aid dependent.

Some ethicists maintain that the principle of justice also dictates against aiding poor nations. Justice requires that benefits and burdens be distributed fairly among peoples. Nations that have planned for the needs of their citizens by regulating food production to ensure an adequate food supply for the present, as well as a surplus for emergencies, and nations that have implemented programs to limit population growth, should enjoy the benefits of their foresight. Many poor nations have irresponsibly failed to adopt policies that would stimulate food production and development. Instead, resources are spent on lavish projects or military regimes. Consider the $200 million air-conditioned cathedral recently constructed in the impoverished country of Cote D'Ivoire. Or consider that, in 1986, developing countries spent six times what they received in aid on their armed forces. Such nations that have failed to act responsibly should bear the consequences. It is unjust to ask nations that have acted responsibly to now assume the burdens of those nations that have not.

Finally, it is argued, all persons have a basic right to freedom, which includes the right to use the resources they have legitimately acquired as they freely choose. To oblige people in wealthy nations to give aid to poor nations violates this right. Aiding poor nations may be praiseworthy, but not obligatory.

We Have an Obligation to Aid Poor Nations Many maintain that the citizens of rich nations have a moral obligation to aid poor nations. First, some have argued, all persons have a moral obligation to prevent harm when doing so would not cause comparable harm to themselves. It is clear that suffering and death from starvation are harms. It is also clear that minor financial sacrifices on the part of people of rich nations can prevent massive amounts of suffering and death from starvation. Thus, they conclude, people in rich nations have a moral obligation to aid poor nations. Every week more than a quarter of a million children die from malnutrition and illness. Many of these deaths are preventable. For example, the diarrhea disease and respiratory infections that claim the lives of 16,000 children every day could be prevented by 10 cent packets of oral rehydration salts or by antibiotics usually costing under a dollar. The aid needed to prevent the great majority of child illness and death due to malnutrition in the next decade is equal to the amount of money spent in the U.S. to advertise cigarettes. It is well within the capacity of peoples of rich nations as collectives or as individuals to prevent these avoidable deaths and to reduce this misery without sacrificing anything of comparable significance. Personalizing the argument, Peter Singer, a contemporary philosopher, writes:

Just how much we will think ourselves obliged to give up will depend on what we consider to be of comparable moral significance to the poverty we could prevent: color television, stylish clothes, expensive dinners, a sophisticated stereo system, overseas holidays, a (second ?) car, a larger house, private schools for our children . . . none of these is likely to be of comparable significance to the reduction of absolute poverty.

Giving aid to the poor in other nations may require some inconvenience or some sacrifice of luxury on the part of peoples of rich nations, but to ignore the plight of starving people is as morally reprehensible as failing to save a child drowning in a pool because of the inconvenience of getting one's clothes wet.

In fact, according to Singer, allowing a person to die from hunger when it is easily within one's means to prevent it is no different, morally speaking, from killing another human being. If I purchase a VCR or spend money I don't need, knowing that I could instead have given my money to some relief agency that could have prevented some deaths from starvation, I am morally responsible for those deaths. The objection that I didn't intend for anyone to die is irrelevant. If I speed though an intersection and, as a result, kill a pedestrian, I am morally responsible for that death whether I intended it or not.

In making a case for aid to poor nations, others appeal to the principle of justice. Justice demands that people be compensated for the harms and injustices suffered at the hands of others. Much of the poverty of developing nations, they argue, is the result of unjust and exploitative policies of governments and corporations in wealthy countries. The protectionist trade policies of rich nations, for example, have driven down the price of exports of poor nations. According to one report, the European Economic Community imposes a tariff four times as high against cloth imported from poor nations as from rich ones. Such trade barriers cost developing countries $50 to $100 billion a year in lost sales and depressed markets. Moreover, the massive debt burdens consuming the resources of poor nations is the result of the tight monetary policies adopted by developed nations which drove up interest rates on the loans that had been made to these countries. In 1989, Third World countries owed $1.2 trillion nearly half of their total CNP to banks and governments in industrial countries. According to one report, since 1988, $50 billion a year has been transferred from poor nations to rich nations to service these debts.

Those who claim that wealthy nations have a duty to aid poor nations counter the argument that aiding poor nations will produce more suffering than happiness in the long run. First, they argue, there is no evidence to support the charge that aiding poor nations will lead to rapid population growth in these nations, thus straining the world's resource supply. Research shows that as poverty decreases, fertility rates decline. When people are economically secure, they have less need to have large families to ensure that they will be supported in old age. As infant mortality declines, there is less need to have more children to insure against the likelihood that some will die. With more aid, then, there is a fair chance that population growth will be brought under control.

Moreover, contrary to popular belief, it is rich countries, not poor countries, that pose a threat to the world's resource supply. The average American uses up to thirty times more of the world's resources than does the average Asian or African. If our concern is to ensure that there is an adequate resource base for the world's population, policies aimed at decreasing consumption by rich nations should be adopted.

Those who support aid to poor nations also counter the argument that aid to poor nations rarely accomplishes what it was intended to accomplish. As a result of aid, they point out, many countries have significantly reduced poverty and moved from dependence to self reliance. Aid has allowed Indonesia, for example, to reduce poverty from 58% to 17% in less than a generation. There are, unfortunately, instances in which the poor haven't benefitted from aid, but such cases only move us to find more effective ways to combat poverty in these countries, be it canceling debts, lowering trade restrictions, or improving distribution mechanisms for direct aid. Furthermore, poor nations would benefit from aid if more aid was sent to them in the first place. In 1988, 41% of all aid was directed to high-income and middle-income countries, rather than to low income countries. According to the World Bank, only 8% of U.S. aid in 1986 could be identified as development assistance devoted to low income countries. Obviously poor countries can't benefit from aid if they're not receiving it.

Finally, it is argued, all human beings have dignity deserving of respect and are entitled to what is necessary to live in dignity, including a right to life and a right to the goods necessary to satisfy one's basic needs. This right to satisfy basic needs takes precedence over the rights of others to accumulate wealth and property. When people are without the resources needed to survive, those with surplus resources are obligated to come to their aid.

In the coming decade, the gap between rich nations and poor nations will grow and appeals for assistance will multiply. How peoples of rich nations respond to the plight of those in poor nations will depend, in part, on how they come to view their duty to poor nations--taking into account justice and fairness, the benefits and harms of aid, and moral rights, including the right to accumulate surplus and the right to resources to meet basic human needs.

"I begin with the assumption that suffering from lack of food, shelter, and medical care are bad.... My next point is this: if it is within our power to prevent something bad from happening, without thereby sacrificing anything of comparable moral importance, we ought, morally, to do it." --Peter Singer

Further reading

Brown, L. R. State of the World 1990: A Worldwatch Institute Report on progress toward a sustainable society. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1990.

Hardin, G. Lifeboat ethics: "The case against helping the poor." Psychology Today , September 1974, 8, pp. 38-43; 123-126.

Helmuth, J. W. "World hunger amidst plenty." USA Today , March 1989, 117, pp. 48-50. Singer, P. "Famine, affluence, and morality." Philosophy and Public Affairs , Spring 1972, 1, (3), pp. 229-243.

Worid Bank. World development report 1990: Poverty . Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990.

World Commission on Environment and Development. Our common future. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987.

This article was originally published in Issues in Ethics - V. 5, N. 1 Spring 1992

While free speech is a right that has been embraced in the United States for several centuries, ethical issues about the process and limitations of free speech and protest behavior, like some of those seen on college campuses this Spring, are in question and are debatable.

Stockholders pay the price when executives and directors choose profits over ethics.

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Rich countries have a moral obligation to help poor countries get vaccines, but catastrophic scenarios are overrated

Subscribe to global connection, dany bahar dany bahar nonresident senior fellow - global economy and development.

February 11, 2021

As rich countries ramp up their vaccination efforts, there is a lot of concern over the when and how of developing countries also receiving and distributing vaccines in a timely manner and finally getting this horrible pandemic behind us.

The concerns are real, and the task of vaccinating the poorest of the poor requires a massive global effort by rich and poor countries alike. First and foremost, it is a moral argument. Given that the vaccine itself already exists—albeit with different levels of effectiveness—every day that goes on results in preventable deaths that must be avoided.

Instead, the rich countries have engaged in “Vaccine Nationalism,” paying for doses in short supply in quantities that more than cover their own populations. When it comes to saving lives, leaving the distribution of vaccines purely to the market is absurd as no one is safe until all of us are safe.

But beyond the moral argument, there are also compelling arguments on the possible very scary consequences of leaving developing countries behind when it comes to vaccinations. Some of these arguments are excellently spelled out in this piece , which includes the following three points.

First—what by now has become a very real threat—the longer it takes to globally eradicate the virus, the more it will mutate, possibly reducing the effectiveness of the vaccines. This is a very scary scenario, and to me the most important one.

Second, as long as the virus is here, trade flows and global supply chains will be severely disrupted. A recent paper estimates that, if vaccination doesn’t reach the developing world fast enough, these disruptions can cost up the exorbitant sum of $9 trillion to the global economy, and most of that cost will be borne by the advanced economies.

Third comes the important—though often less talked about—fact that prolonging the life of the virus might result in even more poverty, destabilizing even more the already fragile livelihoods of millions of poor people in developing countries. This, in turn—based on historical trends— can result in conflict , undermining global political stability that affects us all. Moreover, conflict will without a doubt reduce the chances of reversing the very negative trends we saw last year in terms of rising prevalent unemployment and increasing poverty rates after decades of improvements.

There’s no doubt that rich countries—perhaps with funding and assistance from the World Bank and regional development banks—must assist developing nations in getting enough vaccines and getting them fast.

But, I believe, these doomsday scenarios are possible, but highly unlikely.

When this pandemic started, many people—myself included—predicted catastrophic scenarios for developing countries. With cases spiking and hospitals overwhelmed in Italy and Spain at the beginning of the pandemic, for instance, what could we have expected for countries with much more fragile public health systems, often living in more crowded spaces and where multigenerational households are common, making it harder to implement social distancing and protecting the most vulnerable? Thankfully, while developing countries are suffering greatly from the pandemic, this catastrophic public health scenario didn’t materialize. Throughout the pandemic and up until today, the vast majority of deaths are concentrated in Europe and North America, as well as in the middle-income region of Latin America and the Caribbean. In Africa, for instance, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reports that up until today, there have been 90,000 deaths from COVID-19 , in a population of 1.2 billion people. In per capita terms, the U.S. has had about 17 times more deaths, and the U.K. about 20 times more. While measurement in some developing countries can be off and official statistics might be manipulated, it is likely that such large gaps will remain in the data even if corrected.

It is unclear why this is and, in the near future I hope, more research will give us a much better understanding of these trends. I would not be surprised, however, if part of this reality is that developing countries, simply put, know how to deal with infectious diseases better than the populations in rich countries that, for the most part, had never faced a health crisis of this magnitude before. In Africa, for instance, after the 2013-2016 Ebola pandemic, social distancing, elbow bumps, frequent handwashing and even wearing masks, was not unheard of, as this piece argues .

While we must get this pandemic behind us sooner rather than later, it seems that the world has learned to thrive, albeit imperfectly and with a lot of loss and grieving. Most, though not all, of the uncertainty that highly affected markets early in the pandemic has dissipated. And thus, doomsday scenarios seem unlikely.

Look at international trade flows and global supply chains, for instance. In a recent paper , Harvard’s Pol Antras, argues that reshoring and deglobalization are unlikely in the aftermath of the pandemic. Despite a severe slowdown of global trade early in the pandemic, global trade data shows that we are almost back to pre-pandemic levels of trade flows. How much worse can the situation get over the next few months to take us back to the lowest point? Mutations are, of course, the biggest threat right now, so it is possible to see total collapse. But is it likely? I doubt it. If anything, we might expect—particularly as business travel will continue to be depressed for the years to come—that firms will continue investing, if they haven’t already done so, in better software products to better track supply chains not only from direct suppliers, but also from indirect ones (e.g., a supplier’s supplier), as Columbia University’s Amit Khandelwal, an expert on international trade in developing countries, told me in a recent conversation .

Thus, it is the moral argument—to save lives and quickly reverse negative trends—that should drive rich nations and the multilateral system to devote and mobilize every possible resource to extend effective vaccines to developing countries (while also moving much faster with immunizations in countries that already have the vaccines). It is obvious that until the virus is globally eradicated, the economic well-being of the poorest will be fragile and safety precautions will be needed for a while. But there are reasons to be optimistic, and a doomsday scenario is, probably, behind us.

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Developed countries should help poor nations . To what extent do you agree or disagree?

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Should Rich Nations Help the Poor?

By david hulme, this title was previously available on netgalley and is now archived., send netgalley books directly to your kindle or kindle app, to read on a kindle or kindle app, please add [email protected] as an approved email address to receive files in your amazon account. click here for step-by-step instructions., also find your kindle email address within your amazon account, and enter it here., pub date 5 sep 2016 | archive date 17 jan 2017, description.

In the past decade, the developed world has spent almost US$2 trillion on foreign aid for poorer countries. Yet 1.2 billion people still live in extreme poverty and around 2.9 billion cannot meet their basic human needs.

But should rich nations continue to help the poor? In this short book, leading global poverty analyst David Hulme explains why helping the world’s neediest communities is both the right thing to do and the wise thing to do Ð if rich nations want to take care of their own citizens’ future welfare.

The real question is how best to provide this help. The way forward, Hulme argues, is not conventional foreign aid but trade, finance and environmental policy reform. But this must happen alongside a change in international social norms so that we all recognise the collective benefits of a poverty-free world. UK Price: £9.99 UK Pub Date: 17/06/2016

In the past decade, the developed world has spent almost US$2 trillion on foreign aid for poorer countries. Yet 1.2 billion people still live in extreme poverty and around 2.9 billion cannot meet...

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‘David Hulme’s is a passionate and personal yet professional plea for attacking poverty rather than trying to stop bodies washing ashore in the Mediterranean. We can still argue about definitions of...

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