ABSTRACT

CCC-14-0005.0 This sustainable development case focuses on the unintended consequences of disaster and development aid on indigenous societies, and raises for discussion whether a better model exists. In December 2004, a killer tsunami swept across the Indian Ocean, devastating among others the Nicobar Islands, a remote outpost of India. The indigenous Nicobarese had a coconut-based economy; the tsunami not only killed 25 percent of the islanders but felled the trees on which they depended.

Aid—from food and water to cellphones, motorcycles, TVs and candy—poured in to the islands. To his dismay, longtime Nicobars researcher Simron Singh soon perceived that the islanders were losing initiative and self-reliance. At Singh’s urging, the Austrian Institute of Social Ecology and the NGO Caritas formed the Sustainable Indigenous Futures (SIF) fund, pledged to assist the Nicobarese in a sustainable, transparent and responsible manner. This proved hard to do.

Use this case to promote student discussion about the effects of aid on societies unaccustomed to consumer goods or non-native food, clothing and entertainment. While the case describes some aid as clearly misguided, what are the alternatives? Why is it hard for SIF to enlist the Nicobarese in rebuilding their own society? How realistic are the expectations donors have of aid recipients? The case also touches on the role of social scientists in development. Was Singh, an anthropologist, correct to engage in the Nicobars? How important is the principle of scientific detachment from the object of study?

Use this case in a class/course on sustainable development, nonprofit management, scientific ethics or international aid.

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