Motivations of Foreign Aid

Abstract or Introduction

As individuals, we are quickly and emotionally affected by knowledge of the difficult economic conditions that inhabitants of the developing world must deal with. We may feel relief in knowing that our national governments are making an effort to share their wealth through bilateral aid to these struggling countries; we may also make our own individual efforts to donate our own time and resources to international organizations that specialize in economic development. However, how often does the average citizen question the sincerity of these efforts? Can we trust that our efforts are translated effectively into effective aid once it reaches the receiving country? It seems that there are many complicated and veiled issues behind the simple image that most donor governments and aid organizations project to citizens of the developed world. In other words, although it is commonplace to imagine that aid efforts and good intentions go hand in hand, it may be important to separate these two variables in looking at the result of aid effectiveness or ineffectiveness. In order to look more closely at this issue, I would like to explore the question: What explains the motivation of developed countries in giving financial aid to the Third world? This should give insight on the issue of whether changes need to be made in the ideology, planning and structure of development economics.