Mobile Adoption: A Prime Example of Why "Investment" Beats "Aid"

One of the arguable delusions the "aid community" and probably most people have had over the past few decades is that government-to-government actually works. The issue here is not "feeling virtuous," but being virtuous. 

And there is growing evidence that most government-to-government foreign aid actually retards economic development. It is, in other words, a case of "feeling good" instead of "doing good."

Some would argue such foreign aid does not work, or actually has made things worse. 

Some might argue the whole point is doing good, not "feeling good." Most might agree that results are problematic, at best, and harmful at worst. 

On the other hand, there is an argument that some forms of assistance do work, namely the small, non-governmental organization types of aid that have more chance of being put to work by the people the aid is supposed to reach. 

Beyond that, investment, not aid, is what is needed. There's a big difference. Those of you in the communications business might note the huge "development" impact of making it possible for people everywhere to communicate using mobile phones. Since about 2003 or so, the industry has witnessed an unprecedented adoption of communications by people everywhere. 

All that was done with investment, not aid.