M1A2: Discussion Ethical Issues and Foreign Investments

Ethical Issues and Foreign Investments

Patricia Law-Shaw posted Nov 12, 2017 9:07 PM

· Did the World Bank and other international donors act responsibly and ethically in constraining their humanitarian assistance?

 

· I believe World Bank and its international donors do just enough to appear responsible and ethical.  There are tens of thousands of donor-funded development projects worldwide, each governed by countless demands, guidelines and procedures designed to protect the projects and ensure that aid gets to the poor. Experience shows that capacity in developing countries can be improved and strengthened quickly when donors better coordinate their activities and harmonize their procedures.

The World Bank works with other international institutions and donors, civil society and professional and academic associations to improve the coordination of aid policies and practices in countries, at the regional level and at the global level.

The adoption of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000 solidified an historic global partnership to focus on reaching seven specific targets to reduce poverty, hunger, disease and illiteracy. The eighth goal, Develop a Global Partnership for Development by 2015, identifies the means to achieve the other seven.  Over the years, the World Bank has collaborated with the United Nations in nearly every region and sector, deepening this engagement since the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the international community.

This strategic relationship liaises through the Bank's offices in New York and Geneva, in a proactive and forward-looking manner, coordinating positions as necessary with a Bank-wide network of managers and staff engaged in UN matters.  This substantive diplomatic dialogue assures and promotes the strengthening and cooperation on development issues of mutual concern, including key thematic areas: fragile states, climate change and human development issues.

 

· Who has the responsibility for the health care of the Latin American people?

 

· Nine countries from across Latin America and Caribbean highlighted for their healthcare successes.  Ensuring coverage for the regions poorest and most excluded populations a shared focus across the region.  “Whatever path countries choose, universal health coverage is key to prevent people from falling into poverty due to illness, and to give everyone the opportunity to live healthier, more productive lives - regardless of ability to pay,” explains Nicole Klingen, Acting Director for Health, Nutrition and Population at the World Bank.  From explicitly defined benefits packages to reforms of public health services provisions, there is not one single model for attaining universal health coverage. Indeed, in Latin America approaches varied from country to country, but the studies note that ensuring quality coverage reaches the region’s poorest and excluded populations has been a shared focus.  Most Latin American governments have constitutions that require health care as a basic human right but the majority of their population does not receive such. I don’t believe that the World Band and other international donors acted responsibly and ethically in constraining their humanitarian assistance. As a result of the privatization of healthcare and cuts in public health services hundreds of millions of people have experienced preventable death and/or pointless suffering. These countries are receiving outdated and counterfeit drugs and have “consistently performed worse on technical quality than the public sector” (OXFAM, 2009).

 

· Is it a reasonable and socially responsible practice to offer international assistance in exchange for an opportunity to shape a country's political and/or social system? Why or why not?

 

· By the World Bank’s broad definition of poverty ($2.00 or less a day per person), there are more poor people in the world today than a quarter century ago. Nearly half the world’s population, over three billion people, lives in poverty. In India alone, two-thirds of its one billion-plus population is poor. Yet, the strategy for alleviating poverty across practically every developing nation has remained essentially the same for the past several decades.  The UN Millennium project argues that it is the poverty trap of poor health, poor education and poor infrastructure reinforcing each other rather than bad planning, corruption, and ineffective execution that is hindering development of poor countries. The idea is that underdeveloped nations can be saved through more outside assistance and by expanding existing programs that are run mostly by governments. Those who support this notion want the World Bank and other international agencies and donors to make increased contributions to supplement domestic government resources. But there is very little evidence that foreign assistance has made much difference in overcoming the poverty trap in any country.

 

Reference:

Branczik, A. (February 2004). Knowledge Base. Humanitarian Aid and Development Assistance

Klingen, N. (February; 2013). Universal Healthcare on the rise in Latin America

Wharton (October; 2006) Why the Fight Against Poverty is Failing: A Contrarian View

M1A2_Disc

Thomas Green posted Nov 9, 2017 4:41 PM

M1 A2 Disc: Ethical Issues and Foreign Investments

Did the World Bank and other international donors act responsibly and ethically in constraining their humanitarian assistance?

International monetary Fund (IMF) and The World Bank (previously known as Bretton Woods Institutions) were enduring legacies of intergovernmental pillars which supported the world’s financial and economic order. During the Great Depression predatory lenders exacerbated the economic decline by raising trade barriers, and devaluing their currency. Which inevitably lead to substandard living conditions, chronic unemployment, and less than competitive foreign trade exchange, (Maverick, 2017). The only viable difference between the two is that the IMF is more than willing to loan a country with less than stellar humanitarian rights ethics, while The World Banks goal was to reduce poverty, (Balaam and Veseth, 2005).

Who has the responsibility for the health care of the Latin American people?

Unlike its America counterpart Latin American countries have universal healthcare coverage, which is the responsibility of the central government to maintain. This practice keeps Latin America countries from adverse poverty by making sure that the poorest portion of the population has universal coverage. (Worldbank.org, 2013).

Is it a reasonable and socially responsible practice to offer international assistance in exchange for an opportunity to shape a country's political and/or social system? Why or why not?

It is this writer’s opinion that, “it is socially irresponsible to offer assistance -quid pro quo”.  World Bank had their opportunity to reshape the country but realistically there are over three billion people living in poverty, nearly half the world’s population, (Wharton.edu, 2006).

 

References:

David N. Balaam and Michael Veseth, (2005), Book Introduction to International Political Economy, 4th ed. Pearson Education International/Prentice Hall, Retrieved from,

https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_international-business/s10-02-what-is-the-role-of-the-imf-an.html

 

Doi: The World Bank, 2013, Article, Universal Healthcare on the rise in Latin America, Retrieved from,

http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2013/02/14/universal-healthcare-latin-america

 

J.B. Maverick, (2017), Article, What is the Difference between International Monetary Fund and the World Bank? Retrieved 11/09/2017 from,