Doing Well by Doing Good: The Impact of Foreign Aid on Foreign Public Opinion

Date

2014

Authors

Wood, Terence
Goldsmith, Benjamin E
Horiuchi, Yusaku

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Now Publishers Inc.

Abstract

Does foreign aid extended by one country improve that country's image among populations of recipient countries? Using a multinational survey, we show that a United States aid program targeted to address HIV and AIDS substantially improves perceptions of the U.S. Our identification strategy for causal inference is to use instrumental variables measuring the magnitude of the HIV/AIDS problem in aid recipient countries. Our finding implies that in addition to its potential humanitarian benefits, foreign aid that is targeted, sustained, effective, and visible can serve as an important strategic goal for those countries that give it: fostering positive perceptions among foreign publics. By doing good, a country can do well.

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Citation

Source

Quarterly Journal of Political Science

Type

Journal article

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Restricted until

2037-12-31