Date Thesis Awarded
4-2014
Access Type
Honors Thesis -- Access Restricted On-Campus Only
Degree Name
Bachelors of Arts (BA)
Department
Government
Advisor
Joel Schwartz
Committee Members
Mike Tierney
William Hausman
Abstract
The argument of this thesis is that it is necessary to expand the scope of current evaluations of foreign aid provision to include an examination of empirical indicators of political theory justifications, providing an additional standard by which individual donors can determine the most beneficial use of their aid dollars. Accepting liberalism as an important political theory, exploration of three distinct liberal interpretations can be explored: libertarianism, liberal substantive ends and reconciled libertarian paternalism. Each of these interpretations aligns with a method of foreign aid provision and a corresponding aid provision organization. The GiveDirectly unconditional cash transfer program, Oportunidades conditional cash transfer program and Millennium Villages Project direct provision program will be evaluated in order to determine if they are successful in producing results congruent with their own theoretical justifications. Finally, each will be evaluated based on a holistic interpretation of liberalism, reconciled libertarian paternalism, in order to determine which program most effectively achieves the goals of liberal political theory. This organization will receive evidence to reinforce support among donors who believe contributing to the organization’s efforts furthers liberal goals in global development.
Recommended Citation
Stephens, Taylor S., "Reconciled Liberalism as a Mechanism for Foreign Aid Evaluation" (2014). Undergraduate Honors Theses. William & Mary. Paper 30.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/30
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