Philanthropists are not only rich, but generous and benevolent too, so how could anyone complain? But where do philanthropists get their money from, and are those sources legitimate? That’s the most basic question to ask of philanthropy, but although I’ve been answering it in this book, it’s rarely asked, perhaps because it seems churlish. But even if we leave aside the question of the origins of the donors’ wealth, there are other problems with philanthropy, and they have everything to do with the rule of the rich.

Charity or justice?

Charitable giving in response to one-off disasters, such as for victims of earthquakes, is different from charity responding to persistent and unjust inequalities, for unless the injustice is challenged it merely provides a way of making it less intolerable, and therefore more durable. The work of some charities, such as Oxfam or Christian Aid, is partly directed against injustice and neglect – at the causes and not merely the symptoms of problems, as in their campaigns against tariffs that discriminate against poor countries and favour rich ones; and of course some, like Amnesty International, are overwhelmingly concerned with justice.

To be sure, the plight of the recipient may be seen as a matter of concern, but philanthropy tends to treat it as a misfortune rather than as the outcome of social structures and processes. Philanthropy depoliticises not only because it involves individuals rather than the state, but because it so often ignores the social, economic and political origins of suffering. It’s better at dealing with the pathologies associated with poverty than with poverty itself. And some philanthropy is directed towards quite different ends, like supporting elite universities like Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard. Yes, in some cases, the money may pay for some bursaries for a few students from low-income families, thereby providing the institutions with a useful defence against accusations of elitism, but it not only brings prestige to the donor but also reinforces the hierarchy of educational institutions. The poorest universities, attended by students from low- and middle-income families, get nothing.