The Moderate Party came out with a proposal today to reduce the amount of money that is spent on international aid. Currently, Sweden spends 1% of GDP on humanitarian aid and development, more than any other country in proportion to its size.
Although the 1% results in standing ovations from actors on the receiving end on this largess, others are more critical. Serious questions have been raised as to how well the money is actually spent, if it is handled responsibly, if it does any real good, if it even gets to where it’s supposed to go, and even discussions as to what degree aid corrupts and/or undermines organic civil society efforts.
But for those that might be concerned about this turn of events, there’s no need to worry: The Moderate Party proposal is basically dead in the water. A large part of Sweden’s self image is caught up in that 1% and touching that magic number could cause a national crisis. Even a close look at the aid budget at all is a risky venture for any politician, as a chunk of this development money goes to things that don’t jibe with the image of small children finally attending school in impoverished regions in the world. Although an economic and effectiveness argument can be made for their proposal, there isn’t a single political win in it. We’re not going to see this go forward in the near future.