U.S. foreign aid goes far beyond what
is budgeted by the federal government. That figure, which in 2000 totaled $9.9
billion is the basis for designating the US a "stingy" nation.
This figure accounts for just 18% of total U.S. assistance to developing
countries. If one expands the definition of "humanitarian assistance"
to include, for example, government aid to Israel and other items in the federal
budget more closely related to military assistance, one can add an additional
12.7 billion to the total. But the largest amount of money that can and probably
should be included in any measure of US "generosity" would come in the
form of donations by individuals to private charities doing various kinds of humanitarian
work around the world.
Next in line are grants provided by US foundations
such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation or the David and Lucille Packard
Foundation: 1.5 billion in 2000 and growing each year. In addition, many US corporations
have charitable giving programs; private voluntary organizations such as Doctors
Without Borders contribute voluntary work by medical personnel; American universities
provide scholarships to foreign students; and religious organizations conduct
missionary activities, including, for example, providing medical care in clinics.
Finally, people come from many different countries around the world to
work in the US; these people send part of their earnings back to their families
who remain in underdeveloped countries. These contributions to family members
living abroad are called "remittances:" total in 2000, 18 billion. Or
nearly twice the official figure in our earlier graph of US foreign aid. Adding
all these categories together, the total amount of money flowing from the US to
the underdeveloped world totaled $56.2 billion in 2000.
Now, if we take
all these additional amounts into account, how does the US stack up against other
donor nations? The US still ranks seventh on the list, behind Norway, Sweden,
Denmark and the Netherlands, for example. And to reach this more respectable position,
it is necessary to ignore private contributions from individuals and organizations
in other donor nations. Taking a wider view of their, contributions would
push the US, once gain, further from the top of the list. There are additional
problems with this more liberal view of the facts. (To continue,
return to the first page of this article.)
Another estimate of U.S. assistance to
developing countries. For year 2000:
US dollars billions
Share of total
U.S. official development assistance
9.9
18%
All other U.S. government assistance
12.7
22%
U.S. private assistance
33.6
60%
Foundations
1.5
Corporations
2.8
Private and voluntary
organizationsa
6.6
Universities
and colleges
1.3
Religious congregations
3.4
Individual remittances
18.0
Total
U.S. international assistance
56.2
100%
a.
Includes the value of volunteer time donated.
Source:
OECD 2002; OMB 2002; USAID 2002; various private sources.
Charles Henderson
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The Rev. Charles P. Henderson is a Presbyterian minister and is the author of God and Science (John Knox Press, 1986).
A revised and expanded version of the book is appearing here. God and Science (Hypertext Edition,
2015).
He is also editor of a new book, featuring articles by world class scientists and theologians, and illustrating the leading views on the relationship between science and religion: Faith, Science and the Future (CrossCurrents Press, 2017).
Charles also tracks the boundry between the virtual and the real at his blog: Next World Design, focusing on the mediation of art, science and spirituality in the metaverse.