| Since the mid-1970s, the U.S. has made a variety of efforts to advance liberal values around the world. Regarding this fact, the specific questions this study deals with are why the U.S. states as a goal for the improvement human rights/democracy for some aid recipients, but not for others, and, secondly, whether or not U.S. foreign aid contributes to the advancement of human rights/democracy in aid recipients.; In resolving the puzzles, this study has produced three chapters. Chapter II explores which approach, between "humanitarian" or "foreign policy" ones, can better account for the goal of the improvement of human rights. Chapter III and Chapter IV generate a set of variables for the outcome of the promotion of human rights and democracy in aid recipients, respectively. In doing so, Chapter III and Chapter IV commonly employ "top-down," "bottom-up," and "synthesized" approaches in public policy study.; Interestingly, on the one hand, as the humanitarian approach argues, the results presented in Chapter II present the positive linkage between the U.S. goal of the improvement of human rights and the circumstances of the aid recipients, yet in a slightly distinctive context that varies with types of human rights.; On the other hand, Chapter III and Chapter IV reveal that the three approaches complementarily account for the advancement of human rights/democracy in aid recipients, but the superiority of specific variables, derived from the three approaches, varies with types of human rights/democracy.; Overall, this study empirically shows that U.S. foreign aid policy has somewhat reflected the objective human rights/democracy needs of aid recipients. As well, this study suggests that in order to contribute to the advancement of liberal values by using foreign aid, in the first place, the U.S. should employ an appropriate strategy varying with specific circumstances in aid recipients. |
