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Of course philanthropy is self serving. It serves the interest of those who manage it, that normally are related or controlled by those that put the money. I b

Of course philanthropy is self serving. It serves the interest of those who manage it, that normally are related or controlled by those that put the money. I believe it is much better than the alternative: That they are controlled by those who don't put the money. As an real example: In Spain there were public banks created by the Catholic Church(from the Italian model) in order to lend money to people that needed it, they were called "cajas de ahorro". While it was controlled by the Church they worked really well for almost two hundred years. With the democracy the political parties said that as public institutions, it needed to be controlled by "the people". The people meaning of course politicians and unions. Politicians destroyed cajas redirecting the money to themselves, and specially putting incompetent people in charge that destroyed them after making dumb decisions. Now there are no cajas in Spain, all have been privatized after all went bankrupt. Also when I was young I volunteered for a famous humanitarian NGO that helps people all around the world. Or so I thought, after working very hard for 6 months I realized most of the money was wasted in those that were up in the chain of command in the NGO and in Africa bureaucracy(tribal leaders in Africa got to control most of the food and medicines that we sent), not in those that needed it.

bobthechef 6y ago
Absolutely. > While it was controlled by the Church they worked really well for almost two hundred years. With the democracy the political parties said that as public institutions, it needed to be controlled by "the people". The people meaning of course politicians and unions. Furthermore, while so many so-called "charities" are really just fronts for the enrichment of those administering it, Catholic charities spend extremely little on administration. Over 90% of funds go toward the actual people they're serving. Many of those involved have even taken vows of poverty themselves. The Catholic foundation behind them have the effect of giving them a strong, principled direction that charities running on vague, sentimental motives will necessarily lack. Meaning, the people involved are more likely to be motivated by doing actual good and "squandering" their own lives for the good of those they are serving because it is part of the Catholic understanding of reality itself. > humanitarian NGO NGOs are a hotbed of dysfunction. Take, for example, donated and second-hand clothing and so-called "mitumba". African cotton, textile, and clothing industries have been utterly destroyed by the influx of free clothing from the West. Now, this is likely just the result of ignorance and thoughtlessness, but if I were a foreign cotton magnate worried about growing competition from African cotton, or perhaps rising costs in my supply chain which runs through Africa, I might want to encourage "charities" and ragpickers that flood the African market with free clothing to eliminate that competition. Better to give your used clothing to local charities that serve people at home (I believe St. Vincent de Paul does this; would avoid Goodwill).

bobthechef 6y ago

Absolutely. > While it was controlled by the Church they worked really well for almost two hundred years. With the democracy the political parties said that as public institutions, it needed to be controlled by "the people". The people meaning of course politicians and unions. Furthermore, while so many so-called "charities" are really just fronts for the enrichment of those administering it, Catholic charities spend extremely little on administration. Over 90% of funds go toward the actual people they're serving. Many of those involved have even taken vows of poverty themselves. The Catholic foundation behind them have the effect of giving them a strong, principled direction that charities running on vague, sentimental motives will necessarily lack. Meaning, the people involved are more likely to be motivated by doing actual good and "squandering" their own lives for the good of those they are serving because it is part of the Catholic understanding of reality itself. > humanitarian NGO NGOs are a hotbed of dysfunction. Take, for example, donated and second-hand clothing and so-called "mitumba". African cotton, textile, and clothing industries have been utterly destroyed by the influx of free clothing from the West. Now, this is likely just the result of ignorance and thoughtlessness, but if I were a foreign cotton magnate worried about growing competition from African cotton, or perhaps rising costs in my supply chain which runs through Africa, I might want to encourage "charities" and ragpickers that flood the African market with free clothing to eliminate that competition. Better to give your used clothing to local charities that serve people at home (I believe St. Vincent de Paul does this; would avoid Goodwill).