Glenn Hubbard, the current Dean of the Columbia Business School believes that a Marshall Plan for Africa is needed in order to push the continent into the 21st Century and fully integrate African nations into the global economy. His column articulates why this plan is necessary but more importantly why the various Aid organizations would be in opposition of such an undertaking.
It is my believe that while Aid has done tremendous good in Africa and other underdeveloped areas of the world it has also done tremendous harm. Aid has stripped governments of the responsibility to its citizens and has helped corrupt governments remain in power. Aid has become the golden goose over which corrupt governments and officials have waged war. Perhaps it is time to rethink the Western approach to Africa. I believe Mr. Hubbard provides a new perspective, along with the likes of Mrs. Moyo, that is necessary in order to push the discourse on Africa forward.
This is interesting, but in general I disagree with Hubbard on many counts. In his commentary on the market, he mentions that the Marshal Plan had conditions but omits how conditionality set by the World Bank on their loans destroyed many African industries.
ReplyDeleteMuch of this reminds me of the section on agriculture in New Guinea in Jared Diamond's book Collapse. Westerners entered their domain with their assumptions on how superior their farming systems were, just to watch it fail in New Guinea. It took them years to understand that the methods the natives used weren't backward or inefficient, but were actually very complicated and worked for their environment.
What Africa needs is a collaborative effort that utilizes the knowledge of local citizens and resources and theories of the West. Africans definitely need help, but Westerners don't exactly know best.
I agree that Westerners do not always know best or exactly know best. It is a collaborative effort however the many issues he raises require a discussion. I think we all agree that the current model is broken and merits a re-examination.
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