Public Opinion and the Fight Against Poverty

North-South Centre of the Council of Europe and OECD. Edited by Ida McDonnell, Henri-Bernard Solignac-Lecomte and Liam Wegimont. OECD Development Centre

Sustaining the fight against global poverty will be possible only if the "wider civil society", i.e. citizens in richer countries, actively and critically support international development co-operation efforts. The willingness undoubtedly exists: McDonnell, Solignac Lecomte and Wegimont (2003) found that public support in OECD DAC member countries for helping poor countries has remained consistently high for almost two decades. There is no aid fatigue. One indication is that donations from the public to development and emergency NGOs have been steadily increasing, although mostly in reaction to emergencies and natural disasters in developing countries. There is concern among the public about aid effectiveness, but it exists alongside continued high support for aid.