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Environmental Aid: Driven by Recipient Need or Donor Interests?

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  • Tammy L. Lewis

Abstract

Objective This study investigates the trends in the distribution of environmental aid from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), U.S. foundations, and a multilateral donor, the Global Environmental Fund (GEF), to determine whether aid is driven by donor interests or recipient need. Methods Data from USAID, the Foundation Center, GEF, and other secondary sources are analyzed using logistic and OLS regressions. Results Traditional donor interests (politics, economics, and security) and donors' environmental interests (those favoring “global” environmental concerns over local ones) explain which nations receive environmental aid and which do not and how much nations receive. In general, the allocation of environmental aid differs from that of official development assistance. The United States does not demonstrate a middle‐income bias; multilateral aid is not more “humanitarian” than bilateral aid. Foundations' allocation patterns favor traditional donors interests. Conclusions Environmental aid does not target the nations that are most in need of abating local pollution. Instead, environmental aid donors favor nations with whom they have had prior relations (economic and security), nations that are democratic, and nations with unexploited natural resources. In short, donor interests outweigh recipient need.

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  • Tammy L. Lewis, 2003. "Environmental Aid: Driven by Recipient Need or Donor Interests?," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 84(1), pages 144-161, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:socsci:v:84:y:2003:i:1:p:144-161
    DOI: 10.1111/1540-6237.8401009-i1
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    Cited by:

    1. Åsa Persson, 2009. "Environmental policy integration and bilateral development assistance: challenges and opportunities with an evolving governance framework," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 9(4), pages 409-429, November.
    2. Miller, Daniel C., 2014. "Explaining Global Patterns of International Aid for Linked Biodiversity Conservation and Development," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 341-359.
    3. Mohamed Boly, 2021. "On the allocation of environmental aid : strategy beyond environmental considerations?," Working Papers hal-03174770, HAL.
    4. Hicks, Robert L. & Parks, Bradley C. & Tierney, Michael J., 2005. "Explaining the Allocation of Bilateral and Multilateral Environmental Aid to Developing Countries," 2005 Annual meeting, July 24-27, Providence, RI 19346, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    5. Jeongwon Bourdais Park, 2016. "Toward the Green Comfort Zone: Synergy in Environmental Official Development Assistance," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 16(4), pages 1-11, November.
    6. Marinov, Eduard, 2018. "Bulgaria’s Participation in Development Policy: Potential Foreign Economic Benefits," MPRA Paper 110927, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Weiler, Florian & Klöck, Carola & Dornan, Matthew, 2018. "Vulnerability, good governance, or donor interests? The allocation of aid for climate change adaptation," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 65-77.
    8. Pickering, Jonathan & Skovgaard, Jakob & Kim, Soyeun & Roberts, J. Timmons & Rossati, David & Stadelmann, Martin & Reich, Hendrikje, 2015. "Acting on Climate Finance Pledges: Inter-Agency Dynamics and Relationships with Aid in Contributor States," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 149-162.
    9. Lordan, Grace & Tang, Kam Ki & Carmignani, Fabrizio, 2011. "Has HIV/AIDS displaced other health funding priorities? Evidence from a new dataset of development aid for health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 73(3), pages 351-355, August.
    10. Christopher Marcoux & Bradley C. Parks & Christian M. Peratsakis & Timmons Roberts & Michael J. Tierney, 2013. "Environmental and Climate Finance in a New World: How Past Environmental Aid Allocation Impacts Future Climate Aid," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2013-128, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    11. Nathalie Ferrière, 2022. "Filling the "decency gap"? Donors' reaction to the US policy on international family planning aid," AMSE Working Papers 2217, Aix-Marseille School of Economics, France, revised Mar 2023.
    12. David Fielding, 2010. "Inertia and Herding in Humanitarian Aid Decisions," Working Papers 1009, University of Otago, Department of Economics, revised Aug 2010.
    13. Peterson, Lauri & Skovgaard, Jakob, 2019. "Bureaucratic politics and the allocation of climate finance," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 72-97.
    14. Rahman, Md Saifur & Miah, Sohag & Giessen, Lukas, 2018. "A new model of development coalition building: USAID achieving legitimate access and dominant information in Bangladesh’s forest policy," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 248-261.
    15. Deepal Doshi & Matthias Garschagen, 2020. "Understanding Adaptation Finance Allocation: Which Factors Enable or Constrain Vulnerable Countries to Access Funding?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-18, May.
    16. Jamie Robertsen & Nathalie Francken & Nadia Molenaers, 2015. "Determinants of the Flow of Bilateral Adaptation-Related Climate Change Financing to Sub-Saharan Africa," LICOS Discussion Papers 37315, LICOS - Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance, KU Leuven.
    17. Marcoux, Christopher & Parks, Bradley C. & Peratsakis, Christian M. & Roberts, J. Timmons & Tierney, Michael J., 2013. "Environmental and Climate Finance in a New World: How Past Environmental Aid Allocation Impacts Future Climate Aid," WIDER Working Paper Series 128, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    18. Abrams M E Tagem, 2017. "Analysing the determinants of health aid allocation in sub-Saharan Africa," Discussion Papers 2017-09, University of Nottingham, CREDIT.
    19. Rahman, Md Saifur & Giessen, Lukas, 2017. "Formal and Informal Interests of Donors to Allocate Aid: Spending Patterns of USAID, GIZ, and EU Forest Development Policy in Bangladesh," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 250-267.
    20. MARINOV, Eduard, 2017. "The Link Between Official Development Assistance And International Trade Flows – Insights From Economic Theory," Journal of Financial and Monetary Economics, Centre of Financial and Monetary Research "Victor Slavescu", vol. 4(1), pages 239-247.
    21. Marinov, Eduard, 2017. "Връзката Между Помощ За Развитие И Външна Търговия: Кратък Преглед На Икономическата Литература [The relationship between development aid and foreign trade: a brief review of the economic literatur," MPRA Paper 110923, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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