NPR

Is Corruption Really A Big Problem In Foreign Aid?

In his new book, economist Charles Kenny argues that we're obsessed with tracking down corruption when we should be measuring results.
Source: Handini_Atmodiwiryo

Corruption.

Some U.S. officials cite it as one of the biggest reasons to stop giving aid to the developing world.

Senator Rand Paul, for example, claimed that 70 percent of foreign aid is "skimmed off the top," in January.

But economist Charles Kenny says they've got it wrong. "The evidence that aid is siphoned off isn't there," he says.

In fact, donors like USAID and the World Bank are so fixated on cracking down on corruption that in his view it's harming aid., released in June.

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