Deepening our Understanding of the Effects of US Foreign Assistance on Democracy Building
Source: USAID | Year: 2008
Does USAID’s democracy promotion program work? Although some prior studies have examined specific projects in individual countries, no prior effort has studied the question on a world-wide basis, and no prior study has encompassed the entire post ColdWar period. Vanderbilt University and the University of Pittsburgh have undertaken this research in a two-phased effort. In the first phase of that research, we found that the answer to that question was “yes.” That is, on average, in the period 1990-2003, USAID’s investments in democracy promotion produced significant increases in the national level of democracy as measured by Freedom House and Polity IV indicators. However, that study left many unanswered questions, and thus motivated this second phase of the research.
The current report presents the results of the second phase of the project “CrossNational Research on USAID’s Democracy and Governance Programs.” This analysis complements and extends the study “Effects of U.S. Foreign Assistance on Democracy Building: Results of a Cross-National Quantitative Study,” presented in January, 2006, and a shortened version published in World Politics. The present study expands the initial effort in many ways, covering more years and including more variables. In addition, the current study responds to numerous suggestions made by readers of the prior report and published article, including those from academic and policy settings, as well as to the comments made by the expert panel convened to review the results of this work and to the comments made by the audience present in the public presentation of the study at the Center for Strategic and International Affairs (CSIS) on December 7, 2007.
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