In this paper we study how radical political factions secure support. In order to achieve their objective of gaining support, radical political factions can choose from a number of specific strategies. They can provide financial assistance and generate a reciprocal relationship with their...

Previous studies into aid allocation have concluded that foreign aid is allocated not only according to development needs but also according to donor self-interest.  We revisit this topic and allow for donor as well as recipient specific effects in our analysis.  Our results indicate that...

Although fragile states account for 15% of the global population they only contribute about 2% of exports. Trade is widely believed to be an important determinant of development. This paper analyses the challenges and opportunities faced by fragile states in their bid to diversify their...

The Nordic development assistance programs have earned a reputation for commitment to human rights and democracy. Is the reputation deserved? We address this question by comparing how much aid donors give and to which recipient countries. Using a global panel data set, spanning the period...

This paper highlights a problem in using the first-differenced GMM panel data estimator to estimate cross-country growth regressions. When the time series are persistent, the first-differenced GMM estimator can be poorly behaved, since lagged levels of the series provide only weak instruments...

The international community uses a number of interventions to make and build peace. How effective are these interventions? What works and what does not? The discussion highlights the uncertainties when evaluating interventions. Although some interventions are frequently advocated we know very...