Those in power say poor people are more interested in a better life than western luxuries of liberty and civil rights. Sen, a professor at Trinity College, Cambridge in England, doesn't disagree. Poor people focus on survival. But Sen argues democracy gives the poor more options and can put food in the belly. This is because famines are extremely easy to prevent if the government tries to prevent them and a government in a multiparty democracy with elections and free media has strong political incentives to undertake famine prevention.
Corruption exists in every society, but in many developing countries, it's pervasive.
Brown says poor countries are just learning from the rich. There are ways to mitigate corruption, according to Sen, including paying officials better, giving them less authority and increasing penalties. Another way is to change attitudes. In trying to alter a climate of conduct, it is encouraging to bear in mind the fact that each vicious circle entails a virtuous circle if the direction is reversed. More than half of that money came from CIDA via the Canadian taxpayer.