Most polls indicate that Americans believe that we are a more generous nation than others are in giving economic aid to developing countries. The statistics, however, do not bear this out. For more than ten years, the developed world has agreed on the target of 0.7% of gross national product as a goal for development assistance. In recent years, five countries reached or surpassed this goal: Norway, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Sweden. The average for the twenty-two developed countries as a group is far short of the mark. The U.S. has consistently been at or near the bottom of the list.
In truth, Americans do give generously to private/nongovernmental agencies. It is also true that in the past our pattern was far more generous than the more recent pattern (today we give 0.2%, one-third of our level in the early 1960's and one-twentieth of the level of l948; and even if we add in all non-governmental agencies, including the church, our level of giving increases only to 0.5%).
Of course, if our government will not step forward in meeting the 0.7% challenge, you and I still have the opportunity to invest a portion of our IRA/savings in developing markets.
Something to think about... |
