> ROI as a concept only makes sense when you're trying to achieve your own goals. If you're really empowering other people, then they are the ones who should be

> ROI as a concept only makes sense when you're trying to achieve your own goals. If you're really empowering other people, then they are the ones who should be evaluating the ROI on their decisions, not you. While a noble concept in theory, people are notoriously both selfish and short-sighted. Especially when basic infrastructure is missing, and assuming the giver-goals are unbiased, I would expect that an observer would typically say that the society helped by giver-goal aid is better off than the society helped by receiver-goal aid. Receivers, being selfish and shortsighted, will be unlikely to invest in things like a local hospital, or sewage, water, and electricity. They'll buy themselves a trip to a hospital to get taken care of, and purchase a private well, a septic tank (or just a longer pipe to the local canal) and a generator. If they get a propane tank, propane delivery service, and a modern furnace and stove, that's great for them, but the observer would probably say it would be better to run natural gas to all the houses rather than individual propane tanks to a small number of residents. And you may have better results in the short term by giving people money to buy the generator they want rather than a solar array that puts out fewer watts per dollar, but the city will eventually be covered in smog. Or they might invest in better tires for their vehicle to navigate the potholed roads, but they won't pay to pave or maintain them. And while individual smartphones are a wonderful luxury, many more people would benefit if you put PCs in the local library. Perhaps these things would have eventually sorted themselves out when the empowered receivers start using their elevated position on Maslow's hierarchy of needs to become wealthier. They would then contribute more to the tax base and eventually an effective government will have the funds to start investing in these public works that eventually people realize they want for a few percent of their wealth. But I think it's more effective to skip that "perhaps" stage.