A Multiple Streams Model of U.S. Foreign Aid Policy

Abstract

This study builds an interactive, quantitative model to explain U.S. foreign aid allocations. We develop an explanation based on Kingdon's multiple streams model to argue that aid decisions are the result of trade ties, socialist orientation, human needs, and the political ideologies of the administration and the senate interacting with adjustments to baseline funding. We find that there are significant conditional relationships between economic and security‐related assistance and our external and domestic variables with external variables generally being more important. The findings have implications for the study of public policy, the future of the foreign aid program, and theoretical attempts to develop more generalizable explanations of policy that encompass foreign and domestic issues.

Understanding Agenda Setting in State Educational Policy: An Application of Kingdon’s Multiple Streams Model to the Formation of State Reading Policy

“…Indeed, MSM has been used to guide policy research across a wide range of policy domains and institutional settings (eg., Kingdon, 1995;Oliver, 1991;Shibuya, 1997;Travis & Zahariadis, 2002;Zahariadis, 1992Zahariadis, , 1995Zahariadis, , 1996 and has shown promise in explaining educational agenda setting in the U.S. and other countries. (DeJaeghere, Chapman, Mulkeen, 2006;Edlefson, 1993;Holderness, 1992;Houlihan & Green, 2006;Lieberman, 2002;Stout & Stevens, 2000).…”

Kingdon's “Streams” Model at Thirty: Still Relevant in the 21st Century?

“…They used a quantitative model to explain the U.S. foreign aid allocations based on Kingdon's model. Interestingly, Travis and Zahariadis () made note of the lack of quantitative work being produced using multi‐streams model and our research found that the scenario has not changed since. Our search found only one another journal study (by Robinson and Eller ), which argued that Kingdon's model does provide falsifiable predictions, and that employed a quantitative model to test these predictions.…”

“…There are very few studies that apply or utilize Kingdon's multistream model using quantitative methods and sampling techniques. One study, that for the first time defied the qualitative nature of studies based on Kingdon's model, was by Travis and Zahariadis (). They used a quantitative model to explain the U.S. foreign aid allocations based on Kingdon's model.…”

“…One salient observation in this literature review is that of the two noteworthy studies based on quantitative approaches to test Kingdon's model, none find Kingdon's model sufficient and supportive of the predictions made by the model. Travis and Zahariadis () alter Kingdon's model by making it more incremental to test their hypotheses. Robinson and Eller () fail to find any evidence of independence in terms of participation in the problem and solution streams or any crowding or elite bias in participation as suggested by Kingdon ().…”

Problems, Politics, and Policy Streams: A Reconsideration US Foreign Aid Behavior toward Africa1

“…Perhaps it is the case that when Democrats control Congress, it is other types of aid, specifically economic support funds (ESF), which are used to promote economic and political stability through balance‐of‐payments support, that are most likely to bear the brunt of cuts for those countries with poor democratic practices. Indeed, Travis and Zahariadis (2002) find that Senate Democrats have a proclivity to raid ESF funding while continuing their support for economic assistance. Additionally, one can argue that economic aid given to abusive regimes is the type most likely to still benefit poor citizens while ESF aid would only prop up an abusive government.…”