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Did Aid Promote Democracy in Africa? The Role of Technical Assistance in Africa’s Transitions

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  • Gibson, Clark C.
  • Hoffman, Barak D.
  • Jablonski, Ryan S.

Abstract

Did foreign aid impede or catalyze democratization in Africa in the 1990s? We argue that after the Cold War, donors increased their use of technical assistance in aid packages, improving their monitoring capacity and thus reducing autocrats’ ability to use aid for patronage. To remain in power, autocrats responded by conceding political rights to their opponents—from legalizing opposition parties to staging elections. We test our theory with panel data for all sub-Saharan African countries. While other factors played pivotal roles in Africa’s political liberalization, we find technical assistance helps to explain the timing and extent of Africa’s democratization.

Suggested Citation

  • Gibson, Clark C. & Hoffman, Barak D. & Jablonski, Ryan S., 2015. "Did Aid Promote Democracy in Africa? The Role of Technical Assistance in Africa’s Transitions," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 323-335.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:68:y:2015:i:c:p:323-335
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2014.11.009
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    8. Raul Caruso & Nicola Pontarollo & Roberto Ricciuti, 2020. "Regional diffusion of military regimes in sub‐Saharan Africa," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 99(1), pages 225-244, February.
    9. Tii N. Nchofoung & Simplice A. Asongu & Vanessa S. Tchamyou & Ofeh M. Edoh, 2021. "Political inclusion and democracy in Africa: some empirical evidence," Working Papers of the African Governance and Development Institute. 21/091, African Governance and Development Institute..
    10. Jones, Sam & Tarp, Finn, 2016. "Does foreign aid harm political institutions?," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 266-281.
    11. Iannantuoni, Alice, 2025. "Foreign aid volatility and institutional development," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
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    15. Hanna Lerner & David Futscher Pereira & Nina Schlager, 2025. "International constitutional advising: Introducing a new dataset," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 669-699, September.

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