AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN AID TRELLACE LAWRIMORE

WHAT MOTIVATES AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN AID? Humanitarianism Political Interests IMF voting power

RECIPIENT NEED AND DONOR INTEREST MODELS McKinlay and Little RN DI

THE CASE FOR RN AusAID Poverty in Oceania Findings for RN McCawley Gounder Center for International Earth Science Information Network. Child Malnutrition [map]. Scale not given. “Global Subnational Prevalence of Child Malnutrition, v1.” NASA Earth Data. (6 October 2012).

Is Australia helping “those who need it most”? GDP GDP per capita Poverty headcount at $1.25 a day (PPP) Social indicators Center for International Earth Science Information Network. Child Malnutrition [map]. Scale not given. “Global Subnational Prevalence of Child Malnutrition, v1.” NASA Earth Data. (6 October 2012).

RESEARCH SUPPORTING DI “Among the most egoistic” (Berthelemy 2006). Regional bias Economic interests Politics

INEFFECTIVE AID Tied aid (Easterly and Williamson) Food aid and technological assistance AusAID rhetoric Pictures from Clip Art

INITIAL HYPOTHESIS AND TESTING FOR RN If the mean GDPpc in Oceania is not lower than that of all of the other regions in the world, RN is not the only motivating factor in Australia’s aid. GDP per capita in constant 2000 US $ Region*ObservationsMean Oceania Africa World SOURCE: WDI 2012 *Countries included are only those which receive aid.

A BACKGROUND OF IMF VOTING BLOCS Quotas Electing executive board members

SOURCE: IMF Annual Report, various years

PRIMARY HYPOTHESIS Australia channels its aid budget to the countries in its voting block to enlarge their quotas, and thereby its own power in the IMF.

DI VARIABLES IV: Australian Foreign Aid Main DV: Membership in Australia’s IMF Bloc Control Variables: o Population o GDPpc o Trade

REGRESSION RESULTS CONFIRM HYPOTHESIS VariableCoef.tP>ltl aussieIMF population3.97E gdppercapita trade_k8.39E cons SOURCE: OECD 2012, WDI 2012

FURTHER RESEARCH Additional control variables Adverse humanitarian effects Australia’s interest in the IMF

Australia’s foreign aid motivations are… Not Recipient Need Donor Interest Tied to IMF voting power Indicative of Australia’s international political strategy