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Institutional quality and foreign aid

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  • Marcus Drometer

Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of foreign aid on the quality of institutions in recipient countries. Our identification strategy exploits the shift in US foreign policy due the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001 as a quasi-natural experiment. The associated change in strategic importance of certain countries is resembled in the pattern of foreign aid flows. We estimate the impact of US foreign aid on different measures of institutional quality in a cross-country panel data set of developing countries. Our results indicate that foreign aid impacts different dimension of a country's institutions: When focusing on the rule of law aid seems to have a detrimental effect. However, the tax burden imposed on the citizens in recipient countries seems to be reduced by aid payments. When looking at the general level of democratization, we cannot find any conclusive results.

Suggested Citation

  • Marcus Drometer, 2019. "Institutional quality and foreign aid," ifo Working Paper Series 287, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ifowps:_287
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Dreher, Axel & Sturm, Jan-Egbert & Vreeland, James Raymond, 2009. "Development aid and international politics: Does membership on the UN Security Council influence World Bank decisions?," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(1), pages 1-18, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Axel Dreher & Vera Eichenauer & Kai Gehring & Vera Z. Eichenauer, 2013. "Geopolitics, Aid and Growth," CESifo Working Paper Series 4299, CESifo.
    2. Axel Dreher & Vera Z Eichenauer & Kai Gehring, 2018. "Geopolitics, Aid, and Growth: The Impact of UN Security Council Membership on the Effectiveness of Aid," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 32(2), pages 268-286.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H11 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government - - - Structure and Scope of Government
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration

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