Peace Corps Quotes of the Day
Posted on August 15th, 2006 by Kip
Charity begins … where?
I’ve known people who served in the Peace Corps. The consensus is that they found the experience very enriching, but they cannot offer any evidence that by the end of their service they helped in any measurable way.
–Commenter “Chris Durnell” at this Marginal Revolution post
In other words, serving in the Peace Corps is an entirely selfish endeavor.
Go figure.
—
Another commenter:
My advice as an economist and as a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer is to evaluate an opportunity to be a Volunteer in the same way you would evaluate any other job offer. There are pluses and minuses to any job. Which job is best for you depends on your particular utility function, and you are the best judge of your utility function.
You would think (hope?) that an economist would also mention the concept of “opportunity cost” in a discussion such as this. Oh well… (Though I very much applaud that remark that “you are the best judge of your utility function” — yay for acknowledging that all tastes and preferences are subjective!)
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Of course a Peace Corps volunteer doesn't solve intractable crimes, any more than a police force that breaks up a drug gang doesn't eradicate drugs.
See The Wire.
And asking a RPCV to evaluate their own impact after a mere two years of service: It's all going to be anecdotal data anyway.
Did I, single-handedly, get a freetrade zone between Russia, China, and Mongolia established while in the Corps? Of course not. Did I lay the (fuzzy, non-quantifiable) groundwork? I think so. Did I transfer skills and knowledge to my peers while in Russia? Yeah, I think so, although I didn't perform an exit survey to provide a quantification of those results.
Exactly what evidence do you want on the individual PCV level?
One the same line, Ask any returning US serviceman/woman to quantify their contribution. What would they say? What do YOU say? How about your vote? Mine?
As for the no measurable benefit:
When my late father went into the Peace Corps in 1994, he was given a manual by the Peace Corps. At the end were two drawings of the proverbial tropical isle (about 50 ft. square, with one palm tree). One was labled something to the effect of "the place you will be working before you get there," and the other, identical picture was label "the place you will be working after you are done."
The disheartening implication, of course, being that as a Peace Corps volunteer, you don't actually change a singe bloody thing.
I know that's the way my Dad felt at the end of his two years.