Global bystander nonintervention

Why don't people in rich nations do more to help people in poor nations? Nearly 925 million people globally do not get enough food (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2010), while the developed world repeatedly fails to hit aid targets, giving on average only a third of the pledged amounts (United Nations Statistics Division, 2003). Scholars of cross-national helping-often those outside psychology-typically focus on the motivations and actions of institutions such as governments and nongovernmental organizations. We focus on the responses-or lack of response-of individuals. A large body of psychological research has addressed bystander nonintervention. In this cross-level review, we frame the phenomenon of a low level of cross-national helping as a form of bystander nonintervention: global bystander nonintervention. We review and conceptually analyze the work done on bystander nonintervention, identify mechanisms that may inhibit helping, and examine their applicability to understanding and promoting cross-national helping. The promises and limitations of the work to date are examined.