Economic Disillusionment? Cambodia and its Reliance on Aid Money

What is economic disillusionment? It's akin to economic development, but looks at the development issue from the backdoor. I believe that the quest for development is just that. A quest. All the development in the world we are doing now - think about it - does it make a difference? I mean does it really make the huge difference that it's supposed to be making? Some people put huge money into development projects that either seem to go nowhere or get stifled along the way. Sometimes something else happens - sometimes governments and organizations begin relying on that aid money like it's their second, and sometimes only, salary.

Cambodia is a good example. During the 1980' and 90's, many organizations from developed countries (not to mention government agencies themselves) flooded the streets of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap setting up NPO's and research projects after the dark days of Pol Pot. In addition, many countries gave Cambodia billions (yep billions) of dollars over the past three decades for development efforts. But guess what. Cambodia is still one of the least developed countries in the world. Of course Cambodia's gone through a rough time. It's true, Cambodia may be cursed (there are millions of people that have PTSD), but it's gotta get back on it's feet and shake it off. Harsh words? Its neighbor Vietnam was the main country invovled in the Vietnam War - it lost millions - but still got back on its feet and is rapidly marching up the ladder towards becoming a "developed" country.

My main point is that Cambodia has become disillusioned by the massive amount of aid dollars it has received over the years. I was surprised to learn that some down-on-their-luck communities and organizations began to use that money for every day living after Pol Pot, and actually have for years. Of course some of that was okay way back then when people were trying to get back on their feet. But now many people are just waiting with open hands for the next NPO to spring up that will keep donating money. This is one reason Cambodia is still on the list of LDC's (least developed countries). And at this rate, it might be for a long, long time, until something kicks it in the butt and gets it back in gear.