Heinrich, T and Kobayashi, Y orcid.org/0000-0003-3908-1074 (2020) How Do People Evaluate Foreign Aid To ‘Nasty’ Regimes? British Journal of Political Science, 50 (1). pp. 103-127. ISSN 0007-1234
Abstract
Recent theories of foreign aid assume that moral motives drive voters’ preferences about foreign aid. However, little is known about how moral concerns interact with the widely accepted instrumental goals that aid serves. Moreover, what effects does this interplay have on preferences over policy actions? This article assesses these questions using a survey experiment in which respondents evaluate foreign aid policies toward nasty recipient regimes (those that violate human rights, rig elections, crack down on media, etc.). The results indicate that the public does have a strong aversion to providing aid to nasty recipient regimes, but that it also appreciates the instrumental benefits that aid helps acquire. Contrary to a mainstay assertion in the literature, the study finds that moral aversion can largely be reversed if the donor government engages more with the nasty country. These findings call into question the micro-foundations of recent theories of foreign aid, and produce several implications for the aid literature.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2018, Cambridge University Press. This article has been published in a revised form in British Journal of Political Science https:// doi.org/10.1017/S0007123417000503. This version is free to view and download for private research and study only. Not for re-distribution, re-sale or use in derivative works. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | international development; aid; human right; public opinion; morality |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Education, Social Sciences and Law (Leeds) > School of Politics & International Studies (POLIS) (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 15 Jan 2018 12:10 |
Last Modified: | 21 Feb 2020 16:16 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Cambridge University Press |
Identification Number: | 10.1017/S0007123417000503 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:126195 |