“I think that for change to happen on these kinds of things, people have to believe that it’s possible and people have to believe that there is a stake in it for them.”
If you’re reading this right now, statistically speaking, there’s a very good chance that you’re in the top 1% of earners on Earth. I know you may be thinking “it sure doesn’t feel like I’m in the top 1%”, but I can assure you your situation is quite different than the other 99%. If we spent some time in their shoes, we would undoubtedly want to support the other 99% of world occupants in some way. Well, good news! If you’re reading this right now there is also a very good chance that your government is giving millions (or billions) of dollars per year to help people in developing countries. And if you’re a tax paying citizen that means that you ARE helping the other 99% of world inhabitants right now. Some of the money you’re paying goes towards people like today’s guest, a foreign aid advisor. If you’ve ever wondered about the current state of foreign aid, and whether or not it’s working, this should be an interesting listen.
“I sympathize with the question [of whether or not aid is working] because we’re living in difficult economic times, and people might be feeling like it would be nice to have a little bit of that money in their pocket rather than going somewhere else. And if not that they want to be sure that the money is actually doing something.”
“I think part of some of the projects I work on is about getting that engine revving a little bit. If we can make this run smoother and we can set up arrangement where people feel like I pay into something I get something out…then that gets the cycle going.”
Interview Contents
2:00 - The type of work Sean does in international development.
4:30 - Why governments pay private organizations to help.
6:40 - Benefits/downsides to being for-profit.
19:00 - Is development aid working?
28:00 - Personal accountability and making people feeling empowered.
37:00 - Advice for getting jobs in development.
Links
No links today.
This Episode Was Made With The Support Of
Brittany & Matt Marcotte
Michelle & Jim Wortner
Janelle Swanson
Jimmy Seymour
