A Question of Governance

Today marks the start of Live 8, the international series of concerts aiming to (1) raise/maintain awareness of the socio-economic plight of millions of sub-Saharan Africans and (2) to pressure members of the G8, meeting next week, to address issues of aid, trade, etc. While I admire the concerts' organizers for their good intentions, we seem to forget the fact that many of Africa's problems stem from corrupt, inefficient, and thuggish governments.

Freelance writer Melinda Ammann has written a concise overview of this issue in her review of Robert Guest's The Shackled Continent: Power, Corruption, and African Lives [ignore the silly ads to the side of the review]. For a more specific example, check out journalist Bill Corcoran's update on—and prescription of sorts for—Robert Mugabe's brutal regime in Zimbabwe, currently displacing the poorest citizens of its country from their makeshift homes.

The best action that the G8 can take is not to pour aid into countries where such assistance is likely to be stolen or misused for politically corrupt ends; rather the G8 should free up agricultural trade with Africa. Unfortunately, both American and European leaders remain beholden to domestic agricultural interests that continue to demand market-distorting subsidies — subsidies that are inexcusable from both economic and moral perspectives.