Foreign aid and human rights: The Latin American experience

This study attempts to answer the following question: What is the relationship between the human rights record of Latin American states and the amount of foreign aid they receive? We examine the role human rights play on the aid allocation for 12 donors over a 21 year period (1983-2002). Using a new and, we think, more valid measure of human rights, we find, in general, that recipient respect for human rights is not a major determinant of aid, with the exception of the United States and Germany and to a lesser extent Denmark, United Kingdom and France. These findings contradict the stated commitment these states have taken to make human rights an aspect of their foreign aid allocations.