Doing Bad by Doing Good by Chris Coyne is a very powerful application of economic reasoning and systems thinking to the sphere of Humanitarian Action.
Coyne uses the concept of the "Man of the Humanitarian System Mentality" to describe those who think that improving the human condition is like a technological problem (like sending a man to the moon). He points out why this approach fails with compelling examples and the underlying reasons for those failures.
He begins by giving a brief history of Humanitarian Action and he notes the dramatic growth in the state's involvement in humanitarian aid in the last several decades. His discussion of the growth of "Military Humanitarian Interventions" was very interesting (including the unintended consequences that arise in these situations).
In Part 2, he covers the realities of humanitarian action. This section has very good chapters on "Adaptability and the Planner's problem", "Political Competition replaces Market Competition", "The Bureaucracy of Humanitarianism", and "Killing People with Kindness". There are many valuable insights and examples in each of these chapters.
For this review, I want to focus on his discussion of systems and systems effects (which is covered in the chapter on "Killing People with Kindness"). Coyne discusses the difference between linear ("changes in outputs are directly proportional to changes in inputs") and complex systems. The "Man of the Humanitarian System Mentality" treats humanitarian problems as if they were linear when they are in fact complex. Coyne gives a definition of complex systems (from Robert Jervis) and then draws out 3 key implications when we apply systems thinking:
1.) aggregate results and outcomes cannot be easily predicted from separate, individual actions
2.) people behave strategically (an action or anticipated action by one person will change the behavior of people in the present)
3.) actions in the present will contribute to changes in the system environment itself, which will change behaviors and actions in the future.
He then proceeds to show how this plays out with examples from recipient governments (Haiti, North Korea and others) and then has an enlightening section on the impact to citizen recipients (the "Samaritan's Dilemma") as well.
His last section has the implications for Humanitarian Action and covers what Coyne believes can be done and what cannot be done. He shares his reasons for optimism as well as reasons for pessimism. He discusses "Development as Discovery" and the importance of removing barriers to the discovery process. He discusses the powerful benefits that can be had from reforming migration policies and increasing global economic freedom.
Coyne notes in his last paragraph that "The economic way of thinking is crucial for understanding human civilization and improvements in human well-being. It ultimately is up to those concerned with human well-being whether they will appreciate the insights provided by economics." Coyne has done a remarkable job in articulating those insights. I highly recommend this book and I hope that it gets the wide readership that it deserves.
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