Jethro Nolt

An excellent overview of a complex topic.

Revisado: 11-27-19

“Without heart we are unmotivated to engage the poor and needy. Without mind, we do so ineffectually. Heart and mind are the twins of fruitful engagement with our global neighbor.” (Page 149)

In Shrewd Samaritan, Dr. Bruce Wydick points out that many of us spend far more time researching an expensive item we are purchasing for ourselves than we spend researching the effectiveness of the programs and organizations we donate money to. But how do we even begin to understand the complexity of poverty intervention? One of the aims of this book is to make the complex topic of global poverty alleviation efforts more accessible to the non-academic.

Shrewd Samaritan is one of the most helpful books I've ever read on the topic of global development. It discusses some introductory ethics ideas to lay a framework for poverty alleviation. What are we actually trying to do? From there he moves into an overview of some of the contributing factors of global inequality and why some economies are poor while some economies are wealthy. He is thorough enough to be effective, but accessible enough to be easily understood by people like myself with no formal economics education.

Then he talks about specific forms of poverty intervention and how effective they are. He draws information from academic researchers who have rigorously studied different forms of poverty alleviation and quantifies their effectiveness using an easily understood five star rating system. How effective are child sponsorship programs? How effective is micro-credit lending? These efforts and many more are examined, analyzed, and explained to give the reader an understanding of the most effective use of the time and finances they wish to contribute to poverty intervention efforts.

The book's title comes from Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan from Luke 10, and the parable of the Shrewd Manager from Luke 16. Dr. Bruce Wydick speaks as a Christian researcher, and his faith does shape his approach to the ethics of development. If you disagree with his spiritual views, I would still encourage you to give the book a read.

And finally, the book concludes with a fascinating appendix, "Sinister Tips for Mission Trips." In the style of C.S. Lewis's Screwtape Letters, this section gives us a glimpse into the email correspondence from a senior demon to a junior demon on the best way to make a short term mission trip as ineffective and harmful as possible. It's an entertaining, thought-provoking conclusion to the book.

Without a doubt, Shrewd Samaritan is one of the most helpful books for understanding how to be effective in global poverty intervention efforts. It is a book I will be recommending to all who are interested in learning more about this topic.

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