When donors extend foreign aid, they often attach requirements on how funds can be spent. These requirements are thought to increase aid effectiveness and generate policy reforms that benefit both the donor and recipient. However, recipients often perceive such conditions to infringe on their sovereignty. How does the public in recipient countries view requirements attached to development finance?

Richard Clark, assistant professor of government at Cornell University, presents co-authored research that addresses this puzzle. Clark and co-authors argue that individuals’ assessment of aid requirements is a joint function of their trust in their own government and that of the donor country. Analysis of data from the Afrobarometer survey series as well as an original survey fielded in Kenya offer support for their contentions.

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