International aid: miscellaneous issues

Does international aid generally have a good or bad track record? What are the broad patterns in where/how it has worked?

Health-related aid has been associated with many demonstrable successes. The track record of other areas is less clear. More at our blog post on aid's track record.

Why have some parts of the world emerged from poverty while others haven't? Is there anything charity can do to make the former more likely?

Past emergences from poverty have taken many different forms; there are no clear/consensus patterns or formulas in these stories. More at our blog post on the "root causes of poverty."

Why isn't sustainability listed among GiveWell's criteria for international aid charities?

We feel that sustainability is a worthy goal, but not a reasonable requirement. More at the discussion of sustainability on our blog.

How does GiveWell assess the degree to which aid projects are "locally owned?"

Although we agree with the basic concept that local ownership will improve a project, we don't tend to judge projects by their formal commitment to local ownership. We expect the benefits of local ownership to translate to impact. More at the discussion of local ownership on our blog.

What is the Green Revolution and does GiveWell recommend any charities working to extend it?

The Green Revolution was a jump in agricultural productivity that is often cited as one of philanthropy's great success stories and a major contributor to reductions in poverty. GiveWell has not identified strong evidence that any particular charitable activities will extend the Green Revolution to Africa. More at the discussion of the Green Revolution on our blog.