Human Rights and US Foreign Aid: A Review of Quantitative Studies and Suggestions for Future Research

Abstract

In recent years social scientists have conducted several quantitative studies examining the linkage between the human rights practices of third world nations and the amounts of bilateral foreign assistance allocated to them by the United States government. As a result of this research an apparent contradiction has emerged; precious little evidence has been found to support the existence of a substantial linkage between human rights and foreign assistance, even though such a relationship is mandated by law.' If quantitative findings paint an accurate picture of reality, then laws which outwardly appear to link foreign aid to countries' human rights practices may represent little more than skillful public relations work on the part of legislators. It is impossible, however, to know how much confidence to place in such findings without a closer examination of the studies which produced them. Therefore, the first purpose of this study will be to review the quantitative literature on the linkage between human rights and foreign assistance and to reveal several methodological problems. Solutions to these problems will then be suggested, and a long-term goal for quantitative research on this linkage will be proposed.