Official Development Assistance (ODA) policy is a key component to solve the world’s poverty problem. Historically, ODA has served a multitude of objectives as social, economic, and political determinants. Two questions were raised, first, other determinants would be behind despite the determinants which are known already. Second, what other elements had effects on different ODA policies in donor countries.
This thesis examines the objectives of donor countries by the analysis characteristics of major recipient countries. The donor countries are the U.S., Japan, the U.K., and Sweden which are the member states of OECD-DAC, and equally from various continents. Furthermore, the recipient countries of 1996-97 and 2006-07 are analyzed in the period of before and after of the Paris Declaration in 2000.
The findings of the thesis are that the determinants of donor countries are quite different in some countries which they are known as. In the case of the U.S., not only political determinants but also economic ones had effects on the U.S.’s ODA policy. In the case of Japan, economic determinants is the objective of Japan’s ODA policy as it was known. In the case of the U.K., not only social determinants but also political ones had effects on U.K.’s ODA policy. In the case of Sweden, not only social determinants but also economic and political ones had effects on Sweden’s ODA policy.
For ODA policies, various determinants could exist whether it shows officially or not. The key differences for ODA policies are based different historical, cultural backgrounds and economic environment of donor countries. The differences certainly have many things with ODA policy