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Quote by: tivodan1116  The problem is that charity often does not work.
Take the example you use of famine. Particularly in Africa, most aid attempts in Africa are futile because they wind up diverted to corrupt governments. What would help those people more than anything are definitive property rights and an overhaul of their systems of law so that they can put down stakes and develop businesses.
One of the few types of charity that works in this situation are business incubation grants. Many poor people have great business ideas but no seed money. There exist charities that give grants and loans. |
Well, charity is not just money. It could entail time and efforts to make sure that suffering is minimized. To the famine problem, many objectors say that giving aid to help short-term famine is simply prolonging the inevitable, whereas each generation of those helped will need more help.
Singer suggests that in addition to material aid versus famine, there should be active efforts at population control of those affected by famine. Aid would be given, for instance, only to those countries that institute population control measures.
As for corrupt governments receiving the aid, again, it should be emphasized that what the affluent ought to do is help those who are suffering. And thus, the affluent should work to make sure that those are suffering receive that aid in spite of the obstacles to doing so.