tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5491095.post8138842284145163692..comments2024-01-09T17:16:02.647+07:00Comments on JOTMAN: Collier's "Bottom Billion"Jotmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02485510513271661365noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5491095.post-68133269858643988362007-11-15T21:57:00.000+07:002007-11-15T21:57:00.000+07:00I recently attended a lecture by Collier on his bo...I recently attended a lecture by Collier on his book the bottom billion and his ideas appear eminently sensible and are at a far remove from the naive and somewhat deluded proposition that all of the developing world’s problems can be solved by aid. This is not to say that aid cannot have its uses, I believe it has a hugely important role to play in the purchase of drugs, particularly anti-retroviral drugs in order to prevent disease which have a crippling effect on many African nations. However, aid will provide no long term economic benefits and will just lead to these countries becoming far more dependent on the west. A more long term strategy in which the west should help industry to develop is necessary as to provide some sort of sustainable income for these countries. We need to end the ridiculous policy of continually blaming Western, developed countries and globalisation for the lack of development of the bottom billion countries. This is a horrendous distraction from the problems at hand such as political corruption, which will never be solved if all we do is continually guilt trip people into to believing it is the west’s fault and the only way they can help is to give aid to these countries. Instead we should follow the advice of Collier; put pressure on our politicians and demand political stability in these countries and an end to damaging European protectionist policies such as the CAP. The answer is more globalisation not less, it will only be through trade and the development of industry (following the successful example of the Asian tigers, China and India) that these bottom Billion countries will reach an acceptable living standard.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com