The same goes for foreign aid. There is definitely immediate help warranted in the case natural disasters, and the outbreaks of war, and some longer-term help when displaced people are unable to return to their homes. However, a lot of foreign aid ends up being cases where taxpayers fund questionable projects spearheaded by politicians and run by multinationals, consultants, and contractors with dismal results. The main cause I see is that the local population being helped often has poor or skewed representation as a stakeholder in the decision-making process such that the outcome becomes unhelpful or doomed.