"The Anti-Bono" (from The New York Times)

A well-educated native of Zambia, Dambisa Moyo, claims that much of the aid to Africa is counterproductive. While counter-intuitive, this is correct. One does not solve systemic economic problems by throwing money at them (as liberals typically do). One must understand the underlying cultural and historical forces that shape economies (an essentially conservative insight). P.T. Bauer argued years ago that state to state foreign aid seldom accomplishes its goals and often establishes the opposite of its its goals, since money ends up in the wrong hands for the wrong purposes.

None of this is reason to ceasing caring about the millions of refugees, hungry, and oppressed in Africa (and elsewhere). Rather, one should give (and loan) wisely. The more personal and relational the ministry is, the more is demands responsibility, the better it can serve the world's poor and marginalized. In fact, we serve Jesus Christ himself as we serve "the least of these" (Matthew 25).

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