African aid: helpful or hazardous?

Criticism of foreign aid to Africa is growing in recent years.http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/african-aid-helpful-or-hazardous-0022175The current controversy over TOMS Shoes and Invisible Children's Kony 2012 viral video has once again reignited the heated debate over whether the structure of foreign aid to Africa does more harm than good. 

One study found that used-clothing imports cause a 40% decline in apparel production in Africa. According to aid critics, the unending stream of foreign money creates a situation where governments are not accountable to their citizens, forming what are essentially aid-based rentier states. 

To proponents of aid, the solution is to fight for accountability and transparency to make aid serve its purpose, not to cut it off entirely. 

In this episode of The Stream, we speak to TMS “Teddy” Ruge (@tmsruge), Co-Founder of Project Diaspora and Joel Charny, Vice President for Humanitarian Policy at InterAction (@interactionorg).