This is not a good time to be making a case for giving aid. The worst global downturn since the second world war has prompted individuals and states to pull in their horns, hitting donations to charity and allowing rich countries to backslide on their promises of aid to the developing world. Some governments needed no excuse; Silvio Berlusconi, hosting this week's G8 summit of industrialised nations, has a terrible record on aid. In an era of fiscal-stimulus packages and bank bailouts, it is every nation for itself - which all too often means that the developing world is left with nothing at all. Last year, the plight of the world's poor was highlighted by runaway food and fuel prices - this year they are out of sight and out of mind. The arguments for aid have also run into fierce opposition from the likes of Bill Easterly and Dambisa Moyo, two economists who argue that much government help is wasted and that it is anyway a poor substitute for market forces.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jul/07/aid-g8-summit-editorial
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