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This book is about the aids being given by the West to the poor. In my own perspective, this book tackles two most important parties involved in solving the poverty cases in the third world countries which is the “planners” and the “searchers”. In his comparison of the two, he claims that in foreign aid, planners announce good intentions but don't motivate anyone to carry them out while searchers find things that work and get some reward. Planners raise expectations but take no responsibility for meeting them; Searchers on the other hand, accept responsibility for their actions.
Planners determine what to supply while searchers find out what is in demand.
Planners apply global blueprints but searchers adapt to local conditions. Planners lack knowledge of the real reason why things happened that way while Searchers find out what the reality is at the bottom. Planners never hear whether the planned had work while searchers find out whether the customer is satisfied On the basis of analysis, Easterly advices the donors (especially Western donors) that they should stop being just the “planners”.
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“ Thank you so much for accepting my assignment the night before it was due. I look forward to working with you moving forward ”
For me, it is indeed better to be the “searchers”.
Donors should investigate what is in demand in impoverished countries, adapt to local conditions, and stress accountability. He identified why development failed in the recipient countries where aids are being given. Some of these are lack of accountability, the emphasis on grandiose plans rather than specific and measurably goals, and the problems with corrupt governments. Plans should include the intended beneficiaries, how are the beneficiaries benefited, and how will the plan be carried out.
Corruptions in government are great.
Most of the time, the intended beneficiaries don’t get the aids. His book suggests that every one of us should take the responsibility, whether we are donors, aid workers, or just ordinary citizens who want to help make the lives of the poor better. In his explanations, he reiterated that giving aid to poor countries or people is not enough. Instead, we have to see to it that the aid we are giving reaches those people who really need the aid. It’s not enough to just give the aid to countries but not taking the responsibility whether the aid reached the poor.
In this case, I believe that monitoring and making proper accountabilities will help in determining whether the aid reached the needy and whether they are satisfied with the aid. Most importantly, they have to determine whether the aid is used wisely and appropriately especially when it comes to money. It is not enough to just disburse a lot of money to the recipients. It is necessary to know how the money is used. I find Easterly’s book supporting the quotations which says, “Give me a fish and I shall live for a day, teach me to fish and I shall live for lifetime”.
This means that giving aids to poor will help them fight the struggle for just a day. For instance, we give donations of food to the poor countries. Their hunger will be satisfied for a short period of time but soon, when the aid is over, they will be hungry again. But if we teach them how to work and look for their food, they will have an alternative source of living for the rest of their lives and they will not be hungry again. Further, I believe in Easterly’s argument that the West doesn’t have all the answers to the problem on poverty.
They maybe the biggest donor but they cannot totally solved the problem. The West could help but development can only take place if the countries involved will also do their best to help themselves. They should not only wait for aids to come. The government should devise ways on how they could help eradicate poverty in their own jurisdictions. All of us dream for a better world and a better place to live in and we think we are doing the right thing of helping or donating things needed by poor people so that they can have a better life.
However, in my opinion, it’s about time to realize if what we are really doing will help them survive the situation they are in now. Trying the same thing again and again without learning from the failures and experiences will give the same result which is failure. I strongly believe that the arguments raised by Easterly in this book should not be ignored. Hence, it must be given proper attention to give enlightenment to the concerned donors, may it be a simple citizen or a group of big time donors.
"The White Man’s Burden" by William Easterly. (2020, Jun 02). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/white-mans-burden-william-easterly-new-essay
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