Foreign aid looks good now that it’s gone

[CAMBRIDGE] “Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.” When Joni Mitchell sang that line in 1970, she was lamenting the destruction of the environment, but the sentiment applies to many issues. Today, we can add official development assistance (ODA) to the list.

For some 80 years, the United States spent more on humanitarian assistance, economic development programmes, and other types of foreign aid than any other government. In the 2023 fiscal year, the US government disbursed US$72 billion, with much more coming from private non-governmental organisations and individual citizens.

But the US does not spend the most as a share of its income: by that measure, the US contributes just 0.24 per cent – a quarter of what northern European countries give – putting it in 24th place globally. Moreover, foreign aid accounts for just 1 per cent of total US government spending – a far cry from the 25 per cent many Americans believe the US allocates.