British Taxpayers Funding the Global Middle Class
23 August 2024
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In the Media
IEA research featured in The Mail
23 August 2024
Government and Institutions
Kristian Niemietz writes for CapX
23 August 2024
Markets and Morality
IEA research featured in The Times
A new IEA briefing paper on poorly distributed foreign aid by IEA research fellow Mark Tovey has been featured in The Times. Robin Hood in Reverse reveals how the UK’s Official Development Aid money is being sent to regions of upper-middle income countries which have a higher or equivalent GDP per capita than many areas of the UK.
The article said:
“Some of the money was spent after a decision by the previous government to reduce Britain’s overseas aid budget from 0.7 per cent of GDP, which resulted in big cuts to aid budgets in countries such as Yemen, Syria and Somalia.
“Among the funding identified by the think tank was a £200,000 project in Shanghai funded by the department of business to ‘foster creativity in Chinese communities’. The British Council also funded a £200,000 project to reintroduce traditional Shanghai all-female Yue opera to modern urban audiences through digital media.
“[Tovey] said: ‘Taxing hard-working people in left-behind Britain to fund projects in affluent regions abroad is a policy of Robin Hood in reverse, with aid money going to prosperous areas like Ordos in China or Campeche in Mexico — both of which are actually richer than large parts of the UK’.”
You can read the full article here.
The research has also been featured in The Daily Telegraph, The Yorkshire Times and ConservativeHome.
You can read the full version of Robin Hood in Reverse: Foreign aid spending in regions that are richer than parts of the UK.
The article said:
“Some of the money was spent after a decision by the previous government to reduce Britain’s overseas aid budget from 0.7 per cent of GDP, which resulted in big cuts to aid budgets in countries such as Yemen, Syria and Somalia.
“Among the funding identified by the think tank was a £200,000 project in Shanghai funded by the department of business to ‘foster creativity in Chinese communities’. The British Council also funded a £200,000 project to reintroduce traditional Shanghai all-female Yue opera to modern urban audiences through digital media.
“[Tovey] said: ‘Taxing hard-working people in left-behind Britain to fund projects in affluent regions abroad is a policy of Robin Hood in reverse, with aid money going to prosperous areas like Ordos in China or Campeche in Mexico — both of which are actually richer than large parts of the UK’.”
You can read the full article here.
The research has also been featured in The Daily Telegraph, The Yorkshire Times and ConservativeHome.
You can read the full version of Robin Hood in Reverse: Foreign aid spending in regions that are richer than parts of the UK.
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