University
Old Dominion University
Country
United States of America
Document Type
Conference Paper
Description/Abstract
This research paper examines the comparative effectiveness of foreign aid in Ghana and Zimbabwe, highlighting the critical role of political regimes and democratic institutions. The study underscores that while democratic governance, characterized by transparency, accountability, and citizen participation, significantly enhances aid effectiveness. Ghana’s stable democracy and robust institutions have facilitated the effective use of aid, leading to significant improvements in economic growth, education, healthcare, and infrastructure. In contrast, Zimbabwe’s authoritarian regime, marked by corruption and political repression, has hindered the efficient utilization of aid, exacerbating the country's socio-economic challenges. Policy recommendations for donors emphasize the need for promoting democratic governance, enhancing aid coordination, improving transparency and accountability, channeling aid through NGOs, and adapting to context-specific challenges. The findings suggest that considering political factors and regime type of governance, is essential for foreign aid disbursement or allocation to enhance the impact.
Keywords
Democracy, Foreign Aid, Effectiveness, Comparative, Transparency, Accountability, Citizen participation, Corruption, Donors, Authoritarian
Disciplines
African Studies | Development Studies | International Relations | Political Economy
DOI
10.25776/qyhk-dw84
Session Title
Democracy, Development, and Disinformation
Location
Chesapeake Room, ODU Webb Center
Start Date
3-21-2025 1:30 PM
End Date
3-21-2025 2:50 PM
Upload File
wf_yes
Included in
African Studies Commons, Development Studies Commons, International Relations Commons, Political Economy Commons
Democracy and Foreign Aid: How Democratic Institutions Affect Aid Effectiveness
Chesapeake Room, ODU Webb Center
This research paper examines the comparative effectiveness of foreign aid in Ghana and Zimbabwe, highlighting the critical role of political regimes and democratic institutions. The study underscores that while democratic governance, characterized by transparency, accountability, and citizen participation, significantly enhances aid effectiveness. Ghana’s stable democracy and robust institutions have facilitated the effective use of aid, leading to significant improvements in economic growth, education, healthcare, and infrastructure. In contrast, Zimbabwe’s authoritarian regime, marked by corruption and political repression, has hindered the efficient utilization of aid, exacerbating the country's socio-economic challenges. Policy recommendations for donors emphasize the need for promoting democratic governance, enhancing aid coordination, improving transparency and accountability, channeling aid through NGOs, and adapting to context-specific challenges. The findings suggest that considering political factors and regime type of governance, is essential for foreign aid disbursement or allocation to enhance the impact.