Essay

Evaluate the view that development aid has been largely ineffective in reducing inequalities in developing countries

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Module
Unit 4 - Human Systems and Geopolitics

Institution
PEARSON (PEARSON)

Book
Prisoners of Geography

This essay evaluates a variety of different methods of development aid and reasons that they have all been largely ineffective in reducing inequalities in developing countries. It reasons based on factual data that is linked to theories and gives overall strong evidence in the conclusion as to the ...

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Uploaded on January 5, 2021
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Evaluate the view that development aid has been largely
ineffective in reducing inequalities in developing countries (20)

Development aid involves providing sustainable development usually through
organisations and governments. However, its effectiveness is very questionable
as it creates aid dependency and arguably fuels corruption.

One example that illustrates flaws within development aid being effective is Aid
Dependency. In theory, development aid should only provide benefits however
there are sometimes unintended negative consequences- one of which is aid
dependency. Critics argue that aid dependency hinders economic and political
development. As it has become easier for governments to rely on aid money
rather than taking steps to sustainably develop by investing in local industries
and increasing local tax revenue which would trigger a positive multiplier effect
and self-fund development projects. Furthermore, aid dependency can deter
recipient countries to plan long-term development projects as they may be
unsure about their future cash flow and budgets due to the possibility the donor
country decreasing or stopping aid money.

Another criticism of development aid’s effectiveness is that much of it is lost to
corruption-with some arguing that is actually fuels or promotes corruption and
therefore widens the inequalities within developing countries instead of reducing
them. Many countries that receive aid are also some ranking the lowest in terms
of good governance-often ruled by dictators or have government systems that
make it easy for aid money to be exploited and diverted for personal gain. For
example, in 2009, Zambia’s former president was charged with embezzling $12
million of aid money. This illustrates that by giving development aid to countries
with poor governance will inevitably lead to not reducing inequalities and
potentially even fuelling it.

On the other hand, development aid has been mostly effective in reducing
inequalities in the case of gender equality. The UN launched the ‘UN Decade for
Women’ to highlight the issue of gender equality. This along with more recent
initiatives, has moved gender equality up the priority list for attention and
funding. By 2014 over $30 million of aid money was being targeted specifically
at programmes with gender equality as their main, or significant aim. As a result,
there has been significant achievements. Millennium Development Goals have
acted as a catalyst for rates of maternal mortality rates to decline as there has
been 44% decline in global maternal death rates since 1990. Also, significantly
more girls are receiving an education due to the breaking down of cultural
barriers that previously oppressed this. However, these statistics don’t portray
the whole outcome, as in developing countries, women and girls still die at a
younger age than men and millions of girls still don’t receive an education.

In conclusion, development aid has a multitude of fundamental flaws which
inevitably lead to its ineffectiveness in reducing inequalities in developing
countries and it is questionable that it even fuels inequalities. However,
development has been successful in some areas like gender equality with
showing progressive results however there are millions of girls that don’t receive
an education and women still die at a younger age than men in developing
countries.

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Essay

Evaluate the view that development aid has been largely ineffective in reducing inequalities in developing countries

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