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Aid, Policies, And Growth: Why So Much Confusion?

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  • Shaomeng Jia
  • Claudia R. Williamson

Abstract

We revisit the highly debated aid‐policy‐growth association. Our results overturn Burnside and Dollar's original findings by simply using new data over the same countries and years. Marginal effects from the extended sample (1962–2013) provide weak evidence that aid can promote growth in the presence of good policies. Post‐Cold War (1990–2013) analysis, however, reveals that aid can decrease growth at any level of policy. The overwhelming majority of the results suggest aid conditional on policy is ineffective. This debate continues because the results are highly sensitive to country‐year selection, choice of methodology, measurement of institutional quality, and growth rate measurement. (JEL F35, O23, O40)

Suggested Citation

  • Shaomeng Jia & Claudia R. Williamson, 2019. "Aid, Policies, And Growth: Why So Much Confusion?," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 37(4), pages 577-599, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:coecpo:v:37:y:2019:i:4:p:577-599
    DOI: 10.1111/coep.12418
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    2. Doucouliagos, Hristos & Hinz, Thomas & Zigova, Katarina, 2022. "Bias and careers: Evidence from the aid effectiveness literature," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    3. Jamie Bologna Pavlik & Benjamin Powell & Andrew T. Young, 2022. "Does aid cause changes in economic freedom?," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 89(1), pages 90-111, July.
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    5. Muhammad Azam & Yi Feng, 2022. "Does foreign aid stimulate economic growth in developing countries? Further evidence in both aggregate and disaggregated samples," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 56(2), pages 533-556, April.
    6. Muhammad Athar Nadeem & Zhiying Liu & Haji Suleman Ali & Amna Younis & Muhammad Bilal & Yi Xu, 2020. "Innovation and Sustainable Development: Does Aid and Political Instability Impede Innovation?," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(4), pages 21582440209, November.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • F35 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Foreign Aid
    • O23 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Development Planning and Policy - - - Fiscal and Monetary Policy in Development
    • O40 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General

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