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Growth, Debt Burdens and Alleviating Effects of Foreign Aid in Least Developed Countries

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  • Bjerg, Christina

    (Department of Economics, Aarhus School of Business)

  • Bjørnskov, Christian

    (Department of Economics, Aarhus School of Business)

  • Holm, Anne

    (Department of Economics, Aarhus School of Business)

Abstract

In this paper, we explore the potential growth effects of foreign aid when in conjunction with severe debt problems. We first argue that aid, when used to finance debt repayments, does not lead to Dutch Disease while still alleviating an economic problem. A set of empirical estimates show that while inflows of foreign aid in general are not associated with growth in a sample of 38 Least Developed Countries, an interaction term with the level of external debt is significant. We take this as suggestive evidence of an alleviating effect of aid in these countries and offer some tentative thoughts on the implications for future aid policies

Suggested Citation

  • Bjerg, Christina & Bjørnskov, Christian & Holm, Anne, 2007. "Growth, Debt Burdens and Alleviating Effects of Foreign Aid in Least Developed Countries," Working Papers 07-1, University of Aarhus, Aarhus School of Business, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:aareco:2007_001
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    Cited by:

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    2. Sulin Sardoschau & Alexandra Jarotschkin, 2023. "Chinese Aid in Africa: Attitudes and Conflict," Rationality and Competition Discussion Paper Series 451, CRC TRR 190 Rationality and Competition.
    3. Freytag , Andreas & Pettersson, Jonatan & Schmied, Julian, 2016. "Debt Relief and Good Governance: New Evidence," VfS Annual Conference 2016 (Augsburg): Demographic Change 145914, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    4. Lis, Piotr, 2018. "The impact of armed conflict and terrorism on foreign aid: A sector-level analysis," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 283-294.
    5. Chukwuebuka Bernard Azolibe, 2021. "Determinants of External Indebtedness in Heavily Indebted Poor Countries: What Macroeconomic and Socio-Economic Factors Matter?," The American Economist, Sage Publications, vol. 66(2), pages 249-264, October.
    6. Boateng, Elliot & Agbola, Frank W. & Mahmood, Amir, 2021. "Foreign aid volatility and economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa: Does institutional quality matter?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 111-127.
    7. Sardoschau, Sulin & Jarotschkin, Alexandra, 2024. "Chinese aid in Africa: Attitudes and conflict," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    8. Bjørnskov, Christian & Schröder, Philipp J.H., 2013. "Are debt repayment incentives undermined by foreign aid?," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(4), pages 1073-1091.
    9. Felicitas Nowak-Lehmann & Axel Dreher & Dierk Herzer & Stephan Klasen & Inmaculada Martínez-Zarzoso, 2012. "Does foreign aid really raise per capita income? A time series perspective," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 45(1), pages 288-313, February.
    10. Justesen, Mogens K., 2012. "Democracy, dictatorship, and disease: Political regimes and HIV/AIDS," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 373-389.
    11. Adam, Antonis & Tsarsitalidou, Sofia, 2022. "The effect of international development association's (IDA) aid on conflict. A fuzzy regression discontinuity approach," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    12. Raschky, Paul A. & Schwindt, Manijeh, 2012. "On the channel and type of aid: The case of international disaster assistance," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 119-131.
    13. Mahmoud Mohammed Sabra, 2016. "Remittances Impact on Economic Growth, Domestic Savings and Domestic Capital at the Presence of ODA and FDI in Selected MENA Countries," International Journal of Regional Development, Macrothink Institute, vol. 3(2), pages 1-26, December.
    14. Young, Andrew T. & Sheehan, Kathleen M., 2014. "Foreign aid, institutional quality, and growth," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 195-208.
    15. Mfouapon Alassa & Kamdem Cyrille Bergaly & Mohammadou Nourou, 2022. "Agricultural Foreign Aid Allocation in Sub-Saharan Africa: The importance of Democracy and Quality of Governance," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 6(3), pages 84-100, March.
    16. Fahmida Khatun & Syed Yusuf Saadat & Md. Kamruzzaman, 2019. "FINANCE FOR SDGs: Addressing Governance Challenge of Aid Utilisation in Bangladesh," CPD Working Paper 125, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).
    17. Doucouliagos, Hristos & Paldam, Martin, 2011. "The ineffectiveness of development aid on growth: An update," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 399-404, June.
    18. Winston Moore & Chrystol Thomas, 2010. "A meta‐analysis of the relationship between debt and growth," International Journal of Development Issues, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 9(3), pages 214-225, September.
    19. Ahmad, Ahmad Hassan & Pentecost, Eric J. & Stack, Marie M., 2023. "Foreign aid, debt interest repayments and Dutch disease effects in a real exchange rate model for African countries," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Economic growth; foreign aid; external debt;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F34 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - International Lending and Debt Problems
    • F35 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Foreign Aid
    • O40 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General

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