Information Transmission and Ownership Consolidation in Aid Programs

43 Pages Posted: 17 Jan 2017

See all articles by Axel Dreher

Axel Dreher

Heidelberg University

Sarah Langlotz

Goettingen University

Silvia Marchesi

Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca - Department of Economics, Management and Statistics (DEMS); Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca - Center for European Studies (CefES); University of Milan - Centro Studi Luca d'Agliano (LdA)

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Date Written: August 16, 2016

Abstract

We investigate the degree of leeway donors of foreign aid should grant to recipient governments when their preferences over how to implement the aid are different, and both the donor and recipient possess some private information about the most effective policies. Intuitively, our model shows that donors should stay in control of how their aid is spent when their own private information is more important than the private information of the recipient. Less obviously, an increase in the difference of preferences between donors and recipients can increase rather than decrease the leeway that donors should grant the recipients, as the recipients’ information gains in importance relative to those of the donors, and recipients become less likely to communicate truthfully. We test the model using dyadic data for 28 bilateral aid donors and 112 recipients, over the 1995-2010 period. Our proxy for “centralized” aid is project aid, while budget aid leaves more leeway to the recipient and thus proxies for “decentralized” aid. In line with the model, misaligned interests and informational asymmetries indeed influence the shares of aid given as budget and project aid.

Keywords: Delegation, Communication, Ownership, Foreign Aid

JEL Classification: C23, D82, F33, O1

Suggested Citation

Dreher, Axel and Langlotz, Sarah and Marchesi, Silvia, Information Transmission and Ownership Consolidation in Aid Programs (August 16, 2016). Centro Studi Luca d'Agliano Development Studies Working Paper No. 399, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2900329 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2900329

Axel Dreher (Contact Author)

Heidelberg University ( email )

Grabengasse 1
Heidelberg, 69117
Germany

HOME PAGE: http://www.axel-dreher.de

Sarah Langlotz

Goettingen University ( email )

Platz der Göttinger Sieben 5
Professur für Entwicklungsökonomik (Prof. Fuchs)
Goettingen, DE 37073
Germany

HOME PAGE: http://https://sites.google.com/view/sarah-langlotz/home

Silvia Marchesi

Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca - Department of Economics, Management and Statistics (DEMS) ( email )

Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo, 1
Milano, 20126
Italy
+39 02 64483057 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://https://sites.google.com/site/ssilviamarchesi/home

Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca - Center for European Studies (CefES)

University of Milan - Centro Studi Luca d'Agliano (LdA)

Via P. Amedeo 34
Milano, Mi 20122
Italy

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