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    International Aid and Integral Human Development
    International Aid and Integral Human Development
    International Aid and Integral Human Development
    Ebook71 pages59 minutes

    International Aid and Integral Human Development

    By Philip Booth

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    About this ebook

    Christians in wealthy nations have an obligation to assist those who struggle to subsist in developing economies. The critical question remains: How is this duty best discharged? Conventionally, church leaders have often recommended government-to-government aid transfers as a major strategy to promote development in poor nations. Philip Booth, relying on the principles of Catholic social teaching and the evidence of development economics, argues that this strategy has been in large measure a failure. Booth draws attention to the indispensable conditions for economic development, urges us to reconsider our approach to international aid in light of this evidence, and reminds us that material welfare is only one dimension of integral human development.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherActon Institute
    Release dateMar 7, 2011
    ISBN9781880595855
    International Aid and Integral Human Development
    Author

    Philip Booth

    Philip Booth is Director of Catholic Mission and Professor of Finance, Public Policy and Ethics at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, London.

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      Book preview

      International Aid and Integral Human Development - Philip Booth

      International Aid

      and Integral Human

      Development

      Philip Booth

      Christian Social Thought Series, Number 16

      Copyright © 2009 by Acton Institute

      Edition License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you

      * * * * *

      Contents

      Foreword

      I. Introduction

      II. True Development

      III. Charity or Aid?

      IV. Catholic Social Teaching:

      Making the Case for Aid

      V. Underlying Economic Assumptions

      VI. The Economics of Aid

      VII. Conclusion

      About the Author

      * * * * *

      Foreword

      A distinctive mark of Christianity from its beginning has been solicitude for the poor. The source of this concern is no mystery: Jesus’ own ministry was characterized by compassion toward the marginalized and insistence on the dignity of all people.

      With the rise of the contemporary international system of nation-states and the advent of extraordinary economic progress within many of those nations, the Roman Catholic Church recognized a new dimension to its traditional concern for the poor. Perceiving a disturbing imbalance in levels of development among nations, Catholic pastors urged those in richer nations to remember their brothers and sisters abroad.

      Identifying an obligation and putting it into practice, however, are two distinct acts. With economists and political leaders, the Church has struggled to understand the mechanics of development and thus to answer the question: How can wealthy nations assist less developed nations in an effective fashion? This apparently simple question is surprisingly difficult to answer.

      The most obvious potential solution is for governments of developed nations to transfer funds to governments of developing nations, thus providing resources to create the institutions, services, and infrastructure necessary for economic development. This approach has been attempted and proved unsatisfactory because the dangers of corruption and dependency have attended such aid almost to the point of discrediting it completely.

      We should have known better. From the earliest days of the Church, Christians have recognized that material assistance alone is inadequate for the genuine development of the human person. Drawing on this insight, embedded in the social teaching contained in papal encyclicals, financial expert Philip Booth argues that development will never be accomplished merely by throwing money at the problem. Instead, those concerned about development should take into account the full range of Church teaching on charity, justice, solidarity, and subsidiarity. This approach, more respectful of the dignity and complexity of human nature, can avoid the pitfalls of customary government development aid.

      As we enter the second decade of the twenty-first century, the track record of the old model of government assistance is long and clear, as Booth’s data substantiate. Led astray by their good intentions, Catholic leaders themselves have sometimes fallen into simplistic recommendations for international aid. Booth urges us to reacquaint ourselves with the rich tradition of the Church’s social teaching, examine the economic and other effects of various assistance programs, and creatively refashion our approach to aid. Only in this way will we fulfill our obligation to care for the least of these, by setting in motion a process of genuine development that leads to prosperity in both material and human goods.

      —Kevin Schmiesing, Acton Institute

      * * * * *

      I

      Introduction

      Of all Christ’s teachings as reflected in the gospel accounts, there is none as insistent or as consistent as his defense of the poor and downtrodden. On the strength of this message, the Catholic Church’s social teaching has emphasized the Christian’s—and indeed all of society’s—obligation to assist the poor, and, more broadly, to make use of the gift of wealth in service of the common good. The principles of solidarity, preferential option for the poor, and the universal destination of material goods, have guided the thrust of Catholic social teaching (CST) on this issue.

      These principles are relevant not only to domestic policy and individual action at the local level, but also to international relations and individual and societal responsibilities toward the poor and marginalized beyond one’s own borders. The Catholic Church, an extensively international body stretching to every corner of the world and profoundly committed to charitable activity in every place to which its influence reaches, has loudly proclaimed the message that developing nations deserve the attention and assistance of the world’s richer countries.

      The encyclicals of the social tradition have thus served as helpful and necessary reminders of our obligations in charity and justice toward those who exist in a state of dependency. The temptations of apathy and indifference are ever-present and threaten to vitiate the solidarity that CST has rightly promoted as the solution to injustice, instability, and

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