About Aid Watch
The Aid Watch blog is a project of New York University's Development Research Institute (DRI). This blog is principally written by William Easterly, author of "The Elusive Quest for Growth: Economists Adventures and Misadventures in the Tropics" and "The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good," and Professor of Economics at NYU. It is co-written by Laura Freschi and by occasional guest bloggers. Our work is based on the idea that more aid will reach the poor the more people are watching aid.
"Conscience is the inner voice that warns us somebody may be looking." - H.L. Mencken
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Recent Posts
Recent Comments
- Andrew on Beautiful fractals and ugly inequality: Can you please share the data sources?
- Sina on Beautiful fractals and ugly inequality: this is really good
- Ben Ramalingam on Welcome to economics, all you students (and aid workers): “The number of aid ideas that violate elementary principles...
- Dan Kyba on Welcome to economics, all you students (and aid workers): Market economies and the economics that underpins it has also been,...
- Raphael on Help the World’s Poor: Buy Some New Clothes: Benjamin, I am curious to know where you draw the ethical line. People...
- David Dolejsi on Welcome to economics, all you students (and aid workers): When I was a freshman at my university, they gave us Economics...
Archives
Bill Easterly tweets
- Saying it better! RT@patrin Forget optimal choices, econ is why Disney CEO salary is 140,000x of Ghanaian rock-breakers http://bit.ly/aRxMBt about 11 hours ago from web
- Greetings, Aid workers, welcome to your 1st day of classes on Principles of Economics http://bit.ly/aRxMBt about 15 hours ago from bitly
- World Bank denies expert in charge of development is fictional, he's in secure location in Main Complex, 3rd basement http://bit.ly/bvdx4t 07:57:32 PM September 07, 2010 from bitly
- Hello all, back on Twitter after a week off. Anything happen while I was gone? 03:54:25 PM September 07, 2010 from web
Aid Watch tweets
- IAD on A-i-d http://bit.ly/9Yqk1H. Claudia Williamson discusses Elinor Ostrom's work on development. 12:29:51 PM September 03, 2010 from web
- Be Careful What you Export: http://bit.ly/cE3e1v 11:11:33 AM September 02, 2010 from web
- TransparencyBrawl 2010 continues: http://bit.ly/aG1ytu 08:18:35 PM September 01, 2010 from web
- Hayek vs. the Intellectuals, in technicolor! http://bit.ly/cSnS8m 11:25:39 AM September 01, 2010 from web
Tag Archives: earthquakes
Who is best qualified to help Haiti? Why not the Haitian diaspora?
Toronto Globe and Mail columist Margaret Wente:
Who can offer the most help to the desperate children of Haiti? Is it Bill Clinton, Jeffrey Sachs, the World Bank or the UN? Is it the many experts who are calling for a Marshall Plan to “fix” Haiti once and for all, or the donor nations that have pledged billions for the task?
Personally, I would choose people like Eric and Nicole Pauyo. The Haitian-Canadian couple,
…
Posted in Disaster/ humanitarian aid, In the news
Also tagged Bill Clinton, Diaspora, Haiti, Jeffrey Sachs, Margaret Wente, World Bank
7 Comments
Links for Chile earthquake
@chrissiy: links for Chile mapping response including Google tools, @Ushahidi http://bit.ly/b80EvW
@saundra_s Latest Post: Chile may not need or want foreign assistance http://bit.ly/cLct9C
@AidNews Chile earthquake: Emergency funds released http://dlvr.it/3mL5
@AidNews PHOTOS: Massive quake hits Chile http://dlvr.it/3lwR
@dfid_uk #Chile #earthquake : A #DFID assessment team is on standby. We remain ready to…
Analyzing We are the World for Haiti as a Music Critic and Aid Critic
Even aid critics have their sentimental side. I confess I was genuinely moved watching this video, which has been viewed more than 13 million times on YouTube. The video is very inspiring and well done. It made me let myself go and be carried along by the idealism and hope.
Unfortunately, my kids would like to point out that I also get sentimental listening to Scorpions’ “There’s No One Like You” , so I may not be the best…
TWOFER: Here’s how Haitians can rescue the US from its budget crisis and save themselves
In 2001, I published an obscure paper that concluded “Econometric tests and fiscal solvency accounting confirm the important role of growth in debt crises.” Based on this, I can now say that Haitians can rescue the US from an impending budget crisis. The crisis is already severe, with previously unthinkable warnings that US government bonds might lose their AAA rating.
What does this have to do with Haitians? Here’s the longer, more technical version…
Posted in Academic research, Migration
Also tagged academic papers, Haiti, immigration, taxes
16 Comments
Quake an opportunity for foreigners to “get Haiti right”? Aid “shock doctrine”?
NEIL MacFARQUHAR in a good NYT story this morning (self-promotion alert: I am quoted in the story) notes all the discussion that the quake is an opportunity to sort out all the problems of long-run Haitian development. But an opportunity for whom? Apparently for foreigners. The story mentions some of the proposals for foreign intervention:
Haiti should be temporarily taken over by an international organization
{Bill Clinton as} Haiti reconstruction czar.
“Is it too wild
…
Posted in Disaster/ humanitarian aid, In the news
Also tagged Bill Clinton, Haiti, New York Times, Paul Farmer, shock doctrine
16 Comments
We’re shocked to discover Jessica Simpson doesn’t read our blog
The vacuous top and the resourceful bottom in the Haiti crisis
Meeting about Haiti in Montreal on Monday, representatives from 14 donor countries and the European Union came together and committed to a detailed, specific, well-coordinated plan … to come up with a plan.
Chairman of the Conference, Canada’s Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon:
We have a shared vision on the way forward, one plan that ties us all together. … Clear vision, co-ordination and adherence to principles of aid effectiveness will be essential.
Stay tuned for…
Bill Clinton for President…of Haiti?
The Economist leader on Haiti:
investment {should} be targeted on infrastructure, basic services and combating soil erosion to make farmers more productive and the country less vulnerable to hurricanes.
The pressing question is who should do it and how. Haiti’s government is in no position to take charge, yet the country needs a strong government to put it to rights. Paul Collier, a development economist who worked on the plan, reckons that the answer is to
…
Posted in Disaster/ humanitarian aid, In the news
Also tagged Bill Clinton, Haiti, The Economist
15 Comments
Dr. Lancet discovers hitherto unsuspected need for aid criticism
The Lancet has issued a severe editorial blast against the aid agencies (both official and NGO) for Haiti aid efforts. (Link requires free registration.)
Alanna Shaikh points out where the Lancet is off base.
The Lancet knowledge universe has the perception “the aid sector” has “largely escaped public scrutiny.” Who ever heard of any those obscure *&^%$#@ criticisms of foreign aid? That “coming age of accountability” crap? Sigh.
But, forget all that, here’s a belated welcome…
Posted in Aid policies and approaches, Disaster/ humanitarian aid
Also tagged Alanna Shaikh, Haiti, Lancet
13 Comments
Telethon: “We’ve seen the earth quake but the soul of the Haitian people it will never break.”
You might expect a certain critic of celebrity-aid to make fun of the Haitian telethon last night.
And there were indeed some cringe-inducing moments in this 4-minute video summary I just watched.
But it’s a little-known dark secret that crotchety skeptics often have a sentimental streak. So what’s really wrong about some well-meaning gushy-anthem-belting megastars raising money for some currently very needy people?
I just hope that some day we will get to the point…
Posted in Accountability & transparency, Badvocacy and celebs, In the news
Also tagged accountability, Haiti, Hollywood
4 Comments