[originaltext] (16) Foreign aid is an important part of international effort

(16) Foreign aid is an important part of international efforts to reduce poverty. The United States Agency for International Development has an estimate of the amount given since the early 1950s. It says 70 countries have received more than $ 10 trillion in payments and loans from Western nations. But does foreign aid work? Reporter Aida recently discussed the issue with several experts. Michael Robinson is a researcher at the World Policy Institute in New York. He says foreign aid can lead to "all the wrong economic policies that made those countries poor in the first place." (17) Mr. Robinson argues that it does not help the majority of poor people in a country. Instead, it strengthens the officials in power who are generally unelected. Other experts say foreign aid has produced mixed results, depending on where and how the money is spent. They note successful examples like South Korea, who has become wealthy enough to give foreign aid itself. (18) UN experts agree that foreign aid faces difficulties in parts of the world without much democracy. In Southern Africa, poverty rates increased from 41% in 1981 to 46% in 2001. Yet there are calls for new methods of giving. George Smith is a Ghanaian-born economics professor at American University in Washington. (19)He says Western countries should give less aid, but remove trade barriers so they import more goods from developing nations. Prof. Smith also suggests that donor nations direct how they want their money spent.
16. What does the speaker say about foreign aid?
17. What does Mr. Robinson think of foreign aid?
18. Why does foreign aid face difficulties according to UN experts?
19. What should Western countries do to help poor countries according to Prof. Smith?