The Role of Historical Christian Missions in the Location of World Bank Aid in Africa

Alpino, Matteo ; Hammersmark, Eivind Moe

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE;    CHRISTIAN MISSION;    POLITICAL FAVORITISM;    FOREIGN AID;    AID EFFECTIVENESS;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-9146
RP-ID  :  WPS9146

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

This article documents a positive andsizable correlation between the location of historicalChristian missions and the allocation of present-day WorldBank aid at the grid-cell level in Africa. The correlationis robust to an extensive set of geographical and historicalcontrol variables that predict settlement of missions. Thestudy finds no correlation with aid effectiveness, asmeasured by project ratings and survey-based developmentindicators. Mission areas display a different political aidcycle than other areas, whereby new projects are less likelyto arrive in years with new presidents. Hence, politicalconnections between mission areas and central governmentscould be one likely explanation for the correlation betweenmissions and aid.