Motivations for Bilateral Aid Allocation in Korea: Humanitarian, Commercial, or Diplomatic?

Bokyeong Park () and Hongshik Lee ()
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Bokyeong Park: Kyung Hee University
Hongshik Lee: Korea University

Asian Economic Papers, 2015, vol. 14, issue 1, 180-197

Abstract: This study investigates Korea's motivations for foreign aid allocation, analyzing panel data from over 180 countries for the last 20 years. The results show that Korea's aid allocation reflects both recipient needs and Korea's own national interests but does not consistently consider aid effectiveness. Korean aid is also characterized by its use as an instrument of both summit diplomacy and resource security. In addition, its commercial motivations appear to have shifted over time, from export promotion to overseas investment support. Despite internal and external pressures, there is no obvious evidence that Korea's allocation rule converges with international guidelines that recommend greater consideration of recipient needs and aid effectiveness and less consideration of donor interests. © 2015 The Earth Institute at Columbia University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Keywords: Korea; foreign aid; panel data; aid allocation; summit diplomacy; resource security; commercial motivation; export promotion; overseas investment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F30 F35 I00 P00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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