Evaluation of the Impact of USAID Democracy and Governance Programming

Abstract

Until recently, USAID aid to promote democracy and good governance had not been adequately evaluated. Two years ago, Paxton and Rumi Morishima undertook just such an evaluation. Previous studies had not found a link between foreign aid and democratization or human rights. They found that USAID support has a significant impact on democracy, over and above the normal dynamics of the country and controlling for selection bias.