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To ask someone with a CV like Charles Kenny’s about the current circumstances facing the average African family, “wholly undramatic” is not the answer one would typically expect. Yet Kenny—a former senior economist at the World Bank—opens his new book Getting Better in precisely this optimistic fashion.
 He describes a hypothetical morning for a modern rural African family, where mosquito nets shield against malaria, mothers know the benefits of breastfeeding, children are inoculated against deadly disease, and girls can go to school.
Contrasting the traditional “crisis” view of African life as portrayed in news reports, infomercials and even by many in the development profession, Kenny depicts a world where in an average day, people are waking up to a life in which “Nobody gets sick, nobody gets shot, and nobody dies. Kids go off to school, and parents to work. They return to food on the table and a peaceful night.”
This undramatic characterization of modern African life is exactly what fascinates Kenny. “Its beauty is in its banality,” he says, “a sign of the considerable progress that African countries have made in extending a basic quality of life to ever more people.”
This is the thesis of Getting Better: Why Global Development is Succeeding—and How We Can Improve the World Even More—that although poverty and injustice are still rampant across the developing world, quality of life for millions of people is getting better every day, in ways that were unimaginable only 50 years ago. That even though many people are still poor, they are no longer doomed to live in crisis and uncertainty.
In making his case, Kenny undertakes two separate yet equally important analyses: first, of the factors that affect economic growth, and second, of the factors that affect development, with the ultimate purpose of demonstrating that the two are not synonymous.
For Kenny, the answer to the question of economic growth “is not ‘investment’ or ‘trade’ or ‘education’ or ‘technology’ or any one ‘X’ at all. Instead, the answer is ‘It depends.’” Meaning that all countries are different, and growth depends largely on contextual factors—a country’s history, geography, and institutions, to name a few. “The universal policy prescriptions of dirigistes and interventionists suffer as much,” Kenny says, “as those of neoliberals and free marketeers at the hands of the historical record.”
While acknowledging the role that economic growth plays, Kenny argues that the main reason life is getting better is the spread of the “technologies of development,” namely ideas (like “girls should go to school”) and innovations (like vaccines for measles and polio). And even better, he argues, these technologies that are driving the good life are getting cheaper and spreading further all the time. Following Kenny’s argument, we should not completely despair the lack of growth in household income or GDP in much of the developing world, because “improvements in health, education, and security are what we want from development, while income is just a tool to help achieve them.”
Getting Better certainly paints a more optimistic picture of global development than most, but it isn’t without its caveats. Kenny highlights “the bad news” in the beginning of the book; global income inequality is growing, and even the experts have no idea what will truly cause economic growth. He also highlights how certain indicators of progress can be misleading.
For example, the dramatic increase in primary school enrollments in sub-Saharan Africa often belies the fact that enrollments do not necessarily equal a quality education. But overall, Kenny says, “the world appears to be a far better place to live in today than it was in the middle of the last century or in any century before that. And life has gotten better in particular for those who suffered the worst living conditions in 1950. This is evidence of considerable success in development.”
As a whole, Getting Better provides us a lens through which we can analyze any development text that claims to have all the answers. I had the pleasure of reading this book directly after finishing Dambisa Moyo’s anti-aid diatribe, Dead Aid. It proved a very helpful exercise to contrast Moyo’s self-assured conclusion—that Africa’s failure to spur economic growth is directly because of too much aid—with Kenny’s own argument: that there can be no self-assured conclusions as to what spurs economic growth, and that economic growth itself is in no way synonymous with development.
Thus, channeling Socrates, Kenny’s analysis proves intelligent precisely because he acknowledges how little we truly know, instead insisting we focus on using what we do know to keep getting better. Through a detailed and moving view of our recent history, Kenny enables the reader to look at our world, troubled though it may be at times, and see a hope for the future. |
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January 12th 2010 saw the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere devastated by natural disaster. In the two years that have passed since this horrific day, people from all corners of the world went to Haiti to aid in the disaster relief and recovery efforts. Each person has a story to tell and their own experience from their time there. This is the story of Kelly Smith, a young English woman.
If truth be told, before Haiti was struck by the devastating earthquake I had never heard of this beautiful Caribbean country. However with the ever-advancing technological world that we live in, when disaster strikes it is only a matter of minutes before the world can watch the terror unfold. We all remember watching these images, and I like many others felt a compelling need to help. But what is the best way to help?
‘Donors gave a huge £106m to help people recover from the disaster which affected three million people. About 1.5 million people lost their homes, 300 000 were injured and about 220 000 died.’
 The weeks and months that followed saw Haiti become less of a fixture in our media, yet it was images like these that remained in my mind. In the summer of 2010 – six months after the quake - I was given the opportunity to go and work in one of the worst affected areas, Leogane, a seaside town that was at the epicentre of the earthquake.
As excited as I was for the challenge that lay ahead of me I was also extremely apprehensive. I couldn’t help but think what do I have to offer? I have no relevant skills, I cannot build, I am not particularly strong and I have no medical skills. All I did have was the determination and drive to help. But was this enough? Well, All Hands, the organisation I was going to work with certainly thought so.
I had been to developing countries before but never to a country that had so recently been crippled by disaster; my perception of what Haiti would be like was completely different to reality. I envisaged entire areas, villages and towns to have been flattened. It was very harrowing travelling through Port-au-Prince expecting to see the entire city wiped out when in fact many buildings survived with little or no damage then right next door would lie a pancaked building. I found this much more disturbing and upsetting than I could ever have imagined.
The primary focus of All Hands was the removal of rubble and debris which  was commonly known amongst the volunteers as “rubbling”. Rubbling enabled families to use the cleared land to erect temporary shelter rather than living in “tent city” before rebuilding their home; these shelters are the overcrowded roadside communities we had all become accustomed to seeing on the 6 o’clock news. It was clear to me that rubbling was the number one priority in Leogane, especially with the impending hurricane season, but unfortunately it did not take priority among the 50+ NGO’s who were based in the seaside town. Instead, setting up orphanages and schools seemed to be the “help” of preference for many organisations. But is this what the Haitians wanted or needed to aid them in their recovery and did anybody even stop to ask?
My experience in Haiti was certainly an eye opener to the field of post disaster relief. I have always been aware of the lack of accountability for international NGO’s but in my naivety
I didn’t think this would be the case in disaster zones. This raises the question: is all aid good aid – and it’s one of the reasons I’ve become a supporter of the Global Poverty Project.
I saw some amazing aid in Haiti, but I also some bad aid. I saw NGO’s competing without listening to what locals wanted or needed, I saw groups giving out goods that had been donated that just didn’t seem like priorities.
Despite this, with the help of international aid Haiti is making some amazing progress. There are many projects that are really making a difference. Working with and not for local communities; helping them to rebuild their lives, become stronger and more resilient. With the upcoming anniversary of the quake all eyes will once again be on Haiti. I hope this landmark will be used in a positive light; an opportunity to move forward and reflect on the progress that has been made.
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Posted by Kelly Smith in Aid for column Action Stories on Jan 6th, 15:12 |
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In the international development sector, we are constantly highlighting the importance of education. We strive to educate the Global North about poverty-related issues, and we push for improvements in schooling in the Global South. Education plays such a vital role in alleviating poverty, but when a community is living in poverty, it is often the first thing to be overlooked.
In unstable living environments, such as in new settlement areas and refugee camps, education can often take a back seat. The health and safety of families takes priority, and rightly so, but this doesn’t mean that education should be ignored.
.jpg) An article on the BBC website addressed this issue in Zimbabwe. Six years ago, families were evicted from their homes as part of Operation Murambatsvina. Their slums were destroyed and they were resettled in order to give them a better quality of life, but it didn’t quite go to plan.
An Amnesty International report argues that the move has simply created greater problems, with education being one such issue. Children previously had access to education, however, it has not been provided by the government in the new settlements. Unregistered primary schools have been set up in some areas, but a lack of trained teachers and resources is affecting future prospects for the children.
The organisation found that, because they could not go to school, some young women were encouraged to get married earlier in order to be provided for, whilst others entered into the sex industry. These are common consequences throughout the Global South due to limited options for uneducated girls.
Despite the mention of girls, it’s important to recognise that access to education isn’t about gender in this case. Both boys and girls are being denied an education because of the area they’re living in, giving them fewer opportunities for the future.
Education offers children a chance to a life free from poverty, as discussed in the context of a refugee camp in a recent article. After genocide and violence in Sudan, there are over 250,000 Darfuri refugees in Chad living in unstable conditions. In a situation such as this, it is easy to forget about educating the children. However, schools and learning centres have been set up in camps, providing hope for the community. It means that when the children return home or become settled in another area, they will not have suffered academically.
The camps in Chad are an example of how NGOs and other actors in development can create positivity in unstable living environments. Access to high quality education can improve quality of life, and ensure that children have greater opportunities in the long term. Among all the challenges they face in unstable living environments, education can create a crucial path towards establishing stability.
To learn more about how you can help to ensure universal access to education, check out the actions of RESULTS. |
Posted by Hannah Jones in Education for column Issue Analysis on Jan 5th, 14:15 |
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Secretary of State for International Development Andrew Mitchell MP speaks exclusively to Gary Nunn from the See Africa Differently team about myth-busting, business opportunities and the African country that will be aid independent by 2020. With permission we have republished the interview below, to read the original article click here.
.jpg) Gary Nunn (GN): What would you identify as the most common myths and assumptions about Africa – and what’s the best way to challenge them?
Andrew Mitchell MP: Some of the most common – and damaging – myths and assumptions about Africa revolve around growth.
While there’s still crippling poverty in some parts of the continent, that’s not the complete picture. According to The Economist magazine, six of the world’s ten fastest growing countries over the past decade were African.
The UK is doing everything it can to show that Africa is open for business. We are clear in our development policy that aid is a means to an end but trade is what enables people to pull themselves out of poverty permanently.
As with all myths and incorrect assumptions the important thing is to produce evidence to the contrary, something both the UK Government and campaigns like See Africa Differently are hard at work doing. If we can show the UK public that areas ranging from business, trade and investment through to fashion, music and food are rapidly growing across the continent, led by strong and inspirational individuals then it will provide them with a far more accurate picture of the reality in many parts of Africa.
GN: Recent ComRes polling of 2,000 UK adults we commissioned found that less than a third (29%) of people agree that ‘Africa is an exciting business prospect’ and less than a quarter (22%) agree that ‘Africa is a future world economic player, comparable to emerging markets in Asia.’?But in a speech this year you described Africa as “a place of huge business opportunity.” Why isn’t this message getting through?
Andrew Mitchell MP: I think that it is understandable that people respond to what they see and hear about Africa. Most of what people in the UK see is through the news, and of course these are likely to be stories that focus on conflict or hunger.
But I think there’s a growing group of people – particularly business leaders – in the UK and across the world who are opening their eyes to the opportunities that come with investing in Africa.
On a recent visit to Sudan, one of my most memorable experiences was attending a meeting with a group of African, European and American entrepreneurs to discuss the business opportunities in South Sudan. I was impressed not only by the shared interest in strengthening trade and creating jobs in the world’s newest country but also by their sheer enthusiasm. It’s clear that a country full of hardworking entrepreneurs will not stay poor for long, and a place that provides good return on investment will not stay a secret for long.
Multinational companies have a huge part to play too. SAB Miller, one of the world’s largest drinks companies, has started working with small-holder farmers in South Sudan to use cassava in the production of beer. As well as this securing a healthy profit and accessing a whole new market, it has also provided employment, growth and consumer choice. Around 2,000 poor smallholding farmers are directly benefitting from SAB Miller’s decision to source ingredients locally.
I would say this is a shining example of how seizing business opportunities in Africa can benefit everyone from shareholders to smallholders.
GN: This year has seen terrible famine in the horn of Africa. It provoked the Kenyans for Kenya fund – the biggest fundraising effort of its kind – raising over £4 million through an innovative mobile phone donation system. What does this tell us about African countries working towards aid independence? Are there any other countries who will be aid independent in the near future?
Andrew Mitchell MP: You’re right to say that the famine has been terrible. The British Government has been at the forefront of the international response, feeding 2.4 million people across the Horn, providing clean water and sanitation for 1.2 million people and vaccinating almost 2 million people against polio and measles.
We all want to see a world where aid is no longer necessary. I closed a number of DFID offices last year in countries which no longer need our support and, in the case of China, are able to become donors themselves. We will walk the final mile with countries like India where our aid is making a huge impact in the three poorest states and is dwarfed by India’s own social protection schemes. But I recognise that some countries will need more help over a longer period to reduce their reliance on foreign aid.
In terms of African countries that will be able to ‘graduate’ away from aid programmes in the shorter term, I think Ghana is an excellent example. The facts speak for themselves. Sustained economic growth and political stability have helped to put the country on target to halve poverty by 2015. UK aid has helped reduce the number of people in poverty by 1.1 million from 1996 to 2005. By 2015 we’re committed to helping create 144,000 jobs created, of which 55,000 are for women, as well as supporting 118,000 more boys and girls to receive basic education. Ghana is proof that development works, and we are doing all we can to support Ghana in being independent of aid by 2020.
GN: It has recently been reported in the media that we’ll cut aid to homophobic countries, and  countries with a poor record on violence against women. Is aid conditionality the best way to encourage progressiveness in Africa when some argue that internally-generated change through education (rather than externally-imposed conditionalities) is more effective in changing attitudes?
Andrew Mitchell MP: Let’s be absolutely clear, we expect governments receiving British aid to share our commitments to reduce poverty; respect human rights; improve public financial management; fight corruption; and promote good governance and transparency. These commitments are made clear to developing country governments when we are agree to support them.
We make no apologies for applying these criteria where British taxpayers’ money is concerned.
Where we choose not to deliver aid through Governments because they do not share our commitments to the respect of human rights, we will find other ways of ensuring that British aid gets through. This includes funding other groups, such as those representing civil society, to deliver vital help including food and healthcare to the poorest people.
You’re right to say that internally-generated change is crucial to changing public attitudes but where governments are failing to meet our partnership principles we are prepared to act.
GN: How do we shore up support for ongoing aid programmes when some detractors are calling for it to be cut?
Andrew Mitchell MP: As your readers will know, the Coalition Government is committed to reaching the UN target of spending 0.7% of Gross National Income on overseas development assistance from 2013. But as we do this it is important that the British public knows how their money is being spent and what it is achieving.
Taxpayers rightly expect to know where we are spending their money, how much is being committed to each project and the impact we expect it to have. My first act as International Development Secretary was to order a root-and-branch review of all our aid programmes to ensure we are working in the places our money can have the greatest impact. The outcomes of the review can be found on the department’s website www.dfid.gov.uk/aidreviews along with our country operational plans which set out the results we expect to achieve in each country between now and 2015. I have also set up an independent aid watchdog to scrutinise our aid spending and I made sure DFID was one of the first departments to publish regularly all spending over £500.
We must also be prepared to highlight where British aid is making a difference. This year we made a commitment to GAVI that will see British money vaccinate a child from one of five potentially fatal diseases every two seconds; our Productive Safety Net scheme has helped to feed 1.6 million Ethiopians and mitigate the effects they felt during the Horn of Africa crisis; and we are helping 9 million children from developing countries into primary school and 2 million into secondary schools by 2015. ??
GN: What 3 words sum up a modern, progressive Africa to you???
Andrew Mitchell MP: Open for business.
Find out more about DFID’s ‘Changing Lives’ communications campaign: reporting on how people are lifting themselves out of poverty for good. |
Posted by See Africa Differently in Aid for column Issue Analysis on Jan 3rd, 13:42 |
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This is a message not about me, but for anyone and everyone who contributes to foreign aid. It gives people in extreme poverty the smallest opportunity to live without fear of tomorrow for themselves, their family, their community or their country.
This is an email I received recently:
Hi d'Arcy,
I am feeling alright these days; all the pains have gone, I can breathe normally, I can walk, I can work … thanks to you brother! I am always able to wake up to the rising sun, I am always able to see my son smiling at me because of you … you reconstructed my life, added joy to it, and made it enjoyable for my family.
Once again thank you for going out of your way to reach for me when I am in need.
Huge love,
Des
I am in a position of privilege where I can directly contribute to the quality of life of another. But this is only one example amongst of all the people and organisations who facilitate access and opportunities to the worlds bravest but most needy.
If you have ever given to Plan, WaterAid, Malaria No More, Opportunity International or other similarly effective organisations then Des’ message is to you.
Don’t worry about organisations’ admin costs or advertising because without it you would never reach anyone! Take pride when your government commits $2 million to education programs in Indonesia or $50 million to polio eradication, it is done in your name to give the same chance as I have been able to do for Des.
The background to this message is that I have not given a cent to Des to date. Des was a work colleague of mine in Ethiopia and a year ago he contracted a heart condition and was within days of dying. In what he thought were his final remaining days he managed to send a message to myself and a follow volunteer through facebook. I then organised a few people who knew Des to contribute information, examination and money to see a fast and affordable recovery for him. The results speak straight from the heart and email!
My role was no different to the many effective aid agencies except that it wasn’t the sole job that I dedicated myself to. While I was able to offer a few hours of my time do this not everyone can offer their professional skills and time and not get paid and survive – no matter how compassionate their heart is.
I think one of the main messages from Des’ email for me is YOU make a huge difference when you give to effective aid agencies which support people like Des in the thousands on a daily basis.
It is such a beautiful world for all of us to share with our brothers like Des and many others. Don’t be afraid to give. Give, and give hard and take Des’ message with you as that’s what the worlds most disadvantaged would be saying to you if they had access to international communication like Des is fortunate to have.
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