Bill Easterly thinks this is a stupid idea

Aid Watch is on fire today. First PowerPoint Rangers and now old t-shirts. Bill Easterly asks why sending old t-shirts to Africa along with $1 to cover the costs of shipping is one of the worst advocacy ideas of the year. I disagree that its one of the worst of the year. I still think that goes to RAMP-UP, although Government in a Box™ and Electricity is the New Government in a Box™ are close runners-up. (Or runner-ups?)

In any event, I agree its a pretty stupid idea. People may not want your smelly old clothes and the cost of shipping them benefits the shipping companies, not the poor. A better idea is to just send the damn cash: it would put more money directly in the pockets of the poor and let them spend it on things that they need, exactly what aid is supposed to do. I think that’s a pretty good answer to Bill’s question.