>The Lancet, looking at the impact U.S.A.I.D. had over the past twenty years —saving ninety-two million lives…
If you look at a graph of the world–wide death rate over the last few decades, you’ll see that it’s been going down pretty consistently. If you assume, rather charitably, that the death rate would have been flat if USAID had not existed, then you can count the number of people “saved” over the last 20 years. You’ll get a number like 70 million! This study is trying to tell us that not only did USAID single–handedly save 70 million lives, it brought even more millions back to life!
This study is extremely bogus. Anything you conclude from it will be nonsense. The whole article is nonsense for innumerate people.
If you save a child from malaria but they die in a civil war a few years later you have saved one life (Temporarily) but had very little impact on the death rate. Using changes in death rates to gauge the actual number of "lives saved" from preventable illness is going to be fraught with confounding factors.
USAID certainly had a massive impact in mitigating death from starvation and illness. They also did a great deal in spreading goodwill for the USA among nations that would otherwise have only seen us as only a shadowy menace thousands of miles away.
>The Lancet, looking at the impact U.S.A.I.D. had over the past twenty years —saving ninety-two million lives…
If you look at a graph of the world–wide death rate over the last few decades, you’ll see that it’s been going down pretty consistently. If you assume, rather charitably, that the death rate would have been flat if USAID had not existed, then you can count the number of people “saved” over the last 20 years. You’ll get a number like 70 million! This study is trying to tell us that not only did USAID single–handedly save 70 million lives, it brought even more millions back to life!
This study is extremely bogus. Anything you conclude from it will be nonsense. The whole article is nonsense for innumerate people.
If you save a child from malaria but they die in a civil war a few years later you have saved one life (Temporarily) but had very little impact on the death rate. Using changes in death rates to gauge the actual number of "lives saved" from preventable illness is going to be fraught with confounding factors.
USAID certainly had a massive impact in mitigating death from starvation and illness. They also did a great deal in spreading goodwill for the USA among nations that would otherwise have only seen us as only a shadowy menace thousands of miles away.