Institute of Advanced Studies

Ethical issues in international aid

International aid activities come in a variety of formats and arrangements. Traditional philanthropic and humanitarian intervention efforts ( such as Tsunami relief) immediately come to mind. 

Such activities engender moral intuitions of justice, responsiveness to human suffering, benevolence and social altruism. But other activities involving actions to enhance well being may also constitute a form of international aid. One example is international health research in which researchers from economically developed countries undertake studies in economically less developed countries. 

Indeed, some have suggested that sponsorship of international health research constitutes a form of foreign aid, but only when the intention is to develop medical treatments to help the host country. These examples highlight issues such as the nature of moral obligations, the justification for priority setting, the need for capacity building, and the distribution of benefits.

25 August 2008