Aid that doesn’t help: the illusion of foreign aid for Haiti's socio-economic development
Name: WILGENS EXIL
Publication date: 30/10/2023
Examining board:
Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| DANIEL PEREIRA SAMPAIO | Advisor |
Summary: This research studies Haiti's deepening economic dependence on its aid donors between 1991 and 2020. The research notes the historical process of Haiti's dependence, highlighting the role of France, the United States and Canada. It also analyzed the link between foreign aid and the deepening of economic dependency, based on the theory of Caribbean dependency. As a result, it emerged that Haiti's economic dependence is deepening, with international aid donations taking up a greater proportion of Haiti's public budget each year. This increased dependence on Haiti's public budget can be explained not by the
country's lack of resources, but by the economic interests of the three main donor countries, the United States, France and Canada, which we call the imperial trident, with the aim of becoming involved in Haiti's internal decisions. Among the
determining factors in attracting foreign aid are the pioneering independence by black slaves, its location close to Cuba and the Panama Canal, and the presence of natural resources. This is why the economic stability of this country can also
influence that of other Caribbean countries, several of which are still considered as overseas countries. These aid donations are seen as a form of economic, political and social domination. They are made by disbursing large sums of money to carry out projects, structured by long chains of contracts, involving several NGOs from the donor country. However, close to 1% of the money disbursed for the donation stays in Haiti, the rest being appropriated by the long
chain of neotiation and contracting with NGOs. The result of these projects, which we call Pwojè bidon, shows that these types of aid actually serve to keep Haiti economically dependent through a vicious circle of foreign aid.
