Keywords
Corruption -- Africa, Sub Saharan, Democracy -- Africa, Sub Saharan, Economic assistance -- Africa, Sub Saharan, Economic development -- Africa, Sub Saharan
Abstract
Foreign aid aims to improve economic conditions and quality of life in developing countries. The literature on the efficacy of foreign aid to date has been inconclusive; yet there is some evidence that institutional factors may condition the relationship between aid and development. This research focuses on the effects of foreign aid on development, taking into consideration the effects of political institutional factors as intervening in the connection between aid and development. Specifically, this study considers the effects of democracy (political rights and civil liberties) and level of corruption on the relationship between aid and development in sub-Saharan Africa. Development is determined by the Human Development Index, which takes into account gross national income, life expectancy, and education level. My findings indicate that aid is ineffective at promoting development in sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, it is found that democracy, as determined by level of political freedom, is positively associated to development in aid recipient countries. HIV prevalence rate, the location of the country relative to the coastline, and percent of arable land were found to be significant factors affecting development. The level of corruption and political stability do not have a significant effect on development. The study is conducted using a cross-national, longitudinal, statistical model. The impact of foreign aid on development is examined for 45 countries over a fourteen-year period, from 1995 to 2009. The results of the study show that foreign aid has a negative effect on development, yet development is affected by level of democracy, geographical location, percent of arable land, and HIV prevalence rate. Development is higher in countries located on the coastline, with a higher percentage of arable land, a higher level of democracy, and a higher rate of HIV.
Notes
If this is your thesis or dissertation, and want to learn how to access it or for more information about readership statistics, contact us at STARS@ucf.edu
Graduation Date
2011
Semester
Spring
Advisor
Kinsey, Barbara
Degree
Master of Arts (M.A.)
College
College of Sciences
Department
Political Science
Format
application/pdf
Identifier
CFE0003705
URL
http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0003705
Language
English
Release Date
April 2016
Length of Campus-only Access
5 years
Access Status
Masters Thesis (Open Access)
Subjects
Dissertations, Academic -- Sciences, Sciences -- Dissertations, Academic
STARS Citation
Gray, Rachael J., "Does Foreign Aid Promote Development? A Study Of The Effects Of Foreign Aid On Development In Sub-saharan Africa" (2011). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2041.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/2041