Reddit reviews Blind Spot: How Neoliberalism Infiltrated Global Health (California Series in Public Anthropology Book 30)
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Hi - not a mod here but I would be disappointed if this were a place where cynicism was unwelcome. So: welcome!
I'm not sure where to find updated information to resolve the issue of the outdated Wikipedia article.
ODA (Official Development Assistance, or foreign aid) is a messy, complicated, sometimes helpful and sometimes harmful thing that exists. There are myriad reasons why ODA is ineffective, starting with the phenomenon itself. Some economists argue that aid helps, some argue that it doesn't. Then, when it is given, there are issues of corruption, challenges in using the funds with the donor's restrictions, or misguided/uninformed/politically-motivated directives as to how funds must be used. Money is not usually just given to foreign governments (unless in the form of loans), it is given for specific uses - i.e. HIV/AIDS. And, then it is also not always given directly to foreign federal governments, it may be given via a contractor or NGO. So then you have a middle-man, so to speak, and there are numerous issues with that system as well.
There are inefficiencies and lack of knowledge or disagreement on evidence-based practices at best, and corruption at worst. A good place to answer these questions would be to check out a few books on foreign aid written since ~2000. I'm currently reading Joseph Stiglitz's Globalization and Its Discontents, which gives a good overview of some aspects of foreign assistance.
Your cynicism is well-placed, this is a system that was designed to be, has always been and remains very, very broken. That doesn't mean it hasn't done some good, however it also continues to do some great harm. If you don't find the answers you're looking for here, I encourage you to find them in the books, lectures, articles, etc. that exist to try to answer those questions.
Source: 6 years' work experience in international development and masters in public health with a global health focus.