Foreign Aid

https://www.jonathanmilner.org/

Imagine the entire US federal budget is reduced to 100 beans.

What is the total amount of the US budget? (give or take a few billion)

What is the total amount of the US budget? (give or take a few billion) $3.688 trillion (Fiscal Year 2015) Let me write that out fully $3,688,000,000,000That’s a lot of pizza!

What does foreign aid mean?

What does foreign aid mean?Government spending on foreign health, economic development, humanitarian assistance, and democracy promotion.

Now back to those beans.How many of those beans do YOU think the US government invests in foreign aid?

How many of those beans does the AVERAGE AMERICAN think the US government invests in foreign aid?

How many of those beans does the AVERAGE AMERICAN think the US government invests in foreign aid?26

How many of those beans DOES the US government actually invest in foreign aid?

How many of those beans DOES the US government actually invest in foreign aid? Less than 1 Bean or 1% of the budget goes to foreign aid. That translates to about $35 billion.

How close was the average American’s estimate?And how close was your estimate?

And what countries do you imagine get the most in US foreign aid?

But don’t panic

Now, instead of thinking about the portion of the US budget we invest in foreign aid, let’s think about how much of the US GDP we invest in foreign aid.

What does GDP mean?

What does GDP mean?The broadest measure of a nation's total economic activity. GDP represents the monetary value of all goods and services produced within a nation's geographic borders over a specified period of time.

So you can do the math and figure this one out, or you can just guess, or ask Mr. Google.

What portion of US GDP is spent on foreign aid?If it helps you can do the bean thing again and think about out GDP as 100 beans…

Imagine the US GDP is reduced to 100 beans.

What is the total US GDP? (give or take a few billion)

What is the total US GDP? (give or take a few billion)16.77 trillion USD (2013)DURN!!!!!! We’re rich!I’m gonna write that out all the way…$16,770,000,000,000

What portion of our GDP do we spend on foreign aid?

What portion of our GDP do we spend on foreign aid?The average American thought it was 26%.

What portion of our GDP do we spend on foreign aid? But in reality, if you combine private aid (Bill Gates, the local Rotary Club, your parents) and Government aid it equals, drum roll please... .33% of GDP also know as 1/3 of 1% of GDP

What portion of our GDP do we spend on foreign aid? Here’s a nifty way to visualize that:

Imagine our GDP is 100 beans

Take one bean out, and keep the rest.Them

US

Take that 1 bean and cut it into thirds.

Keep two thirds of the bean, and invest one third of one bean out of 100 beans. That’s right, when you combine government aid and private aid it equals about 1/3 of one bean out of 100 beans. Generous huh? Here’s how it looks compared to other nations.

What do you think about all this?

Learning ExtensionCheck out this great NPR story on foreign aid.

Action ExtensionGet 100 beans. Ask the bean question to 10 of your friends. Have them write down their answer to what portion of GDP we invest in foreign aid on a sheet of paper. Take a picture of them holding that number of beans in one hand and 1/3 of one bean in another. Post to Instagram #foreignaid Then contact your US Representative and share your thoughts.

Check out More great slideshows on SlideshareOur free engaging daily Class Starters!All our GoPo Units and Lessons100 Delicious bean recipes

https://www.jonathanmilner.org/