Question 1: What counts as “good aid”? What features or practices make an aid program helpful rather than harmful?

Question 2: How do corruption and elite capture reduce the effectiveness of foreign aid? Can you think of concrete examples?

Question 3: How might aid undermine local markets and producers? Is there a way to give aid without damaging those?

Question 4: Does foreign aid reduce the incentive for governments to develop domestic capacity (tax systems, infrastructure, education)?

Question 5: What role do institutions (rule of law, local accountability, government transparency) play in whether aid backfires or succeeds?

Question 6: Are there ways for foreign aid to strengthen local systems rather than undermine them? What might that look like?

Question 7: Might there be situations where refusing or limiting aid is better for long-term development?