International public goods for poor countries' growth?

Comments on Andrew Elek “The G20 and enhancing the availability of international public goods”, 24/09/2009, http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2009/09/22/enhancing-the-availability-of-international-public-goods/

The development process is very complex and there are so many factors that can contribute to both the failures and successes of a country's development.

The statement "In a series of papers, Raghuram Rajan, former chief economist of the IMF, and I were unable to find any positive effects of aid on long-run growth but did find evidence consistent with some of the negative effects of aid in depressing manufacturing exports and worsening domestic institutions,’ does not necessarily prove that the proposed alternatives will be able to achieve better outcomes than what the world bank has done in the past.

Firstly, there is no surety that the findings of that study are correct, given the so many factors in play.

Secondly, if specifically targeted aids cannot achieve positive long run growth, how can one reasonably think that the proposed by increasing the provisions of public goods by international financial organisations will do a better job to promote long run growth? Weren't public goods available in the past? Why will new public goods be different?

The proposal will make the link between inputs and outputs/outcomes much more weak and less transparent. It is unbelievable that will work.

It is like to treat a particular disease, the specifically developed medicine is only effective to some patients but not all patients. Now let's try something different. How about using a medicine that is for general health to cure that particular disease?

Will that approach work? Few would agree, probably. At least conventional logic suggests it will not.