Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Foreign Aid Deservingness Decisions

Abstract

This study presents a conceptual model that describes how aid deservingness decisions are made. The model contains the three concepts of need, similarity, and estimated effectiveness. The model also includes an interaction component involving need and similarity. Two variables were used to operationalize each of the three concepts. A total of 136 subjects from the Netherlands, Japan, and the United States were asked to rate 96 stimulus countries (constructed by factorially varying the levels of the six variables) on their deservingness for foreign aid. Results revealed that foreign aid deservingness judgments in all three cultures are based on perceived need, similarity, effectiveness, and a multiplicative combination of recipient need and similarity. There was also evidence that egoistic as well as altruistic motivations enter into aid decisions in all three cultures. Overall, the Dutch were more responsive to recipient need information and less influenced by potential benefits to their own nation than were either the Japanese or American subjects. Also found were close parallels in judgments made by Japanese and American subjects.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Bateson, C. D. , Duncan, B. D. , Ackerman, P. , Buckley, T. , & Birch, K. (1981). Is empathic emotion a source of altruistic motivation? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 40, 290-302.

Berkowitz, L. , & Daniels, L. R. (1964). Affecting the salience of the social responsibility norm: Effects of past help on the response to dependency relationships. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 68, 275-281.

Brewer, M. B. (1979). In-group bias in the minimal intergroup situation: A cognitive-motivational analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 86, 307-324.

Byrne, D. (1971). The attraction paradigm. New York: Academic Press.

Coke, J. S. , Bateson, C. D. , & McDavis, K. (1978). Empathic mediation of helping: A two-stage model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 36, 752-766.

Countries of the world and their leaders (5th ed.). (1979). Detroit: Gale Research Co.

Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture's consequences. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

Hornstein, H. A. (1972). Promotive tension: The basis of prosocial behavior from a Lewinian perspective. Journal of Social Issues, 28 (3), 191-218.

Hornstein, H. A. (1976). Cruelty and kindness: A new look at aggression and altruism. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

10.

Karylowski, J. (1982). Two types of altruistic behavior: Doing good to feel good or doing good to make the other feel good. In V. J. Derlega & J. Grzlak (Eds.), Cooperation and helping behavior (pp. 397-413). New York: Academic Press.

11.

Krebs, D. L. (1975). Empathy and altruism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 32, 1134-1146.

12.

McClintock, C. G. , & van Avermaet, E. (1982). Social values and rules of fairness: A theoretical perspective. In V. J. Derlega & J. Grzlak (Eds.), Cooperation and helping behavior (pp. 43-71), New York: Academic Press.

13.

Stotland, E. (1969). Exploratory investigations of empathy. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.),Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 4, pp. 271-314). New York: Academic Press.

14.

Stotland, E. , Sherman, S. E. , & Shaver, K. G. (1971). Empathy and birth order: Some experimental explorations. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

15.

Tajfel, H. (1970). Experiments in intergroup discrimination. Scientific American, 223 (2), 96-102.

16.

Taormina, R. J. (1984). Foreign aid deservingness and allocation: Group versus individual decision making. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of California, Santa Barbara.

17.

Taormina, R. J. , & Messick, D. (1983). Deservingness for foreign aid: Effects of need, similarity, and estimated effectiveness. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 13, 371-391.

18.

Third World: Uncle Sam's tough new stand . (1981, October 26). U.S. News & World Report, pp. 20-24.

19.

Wilke, H. , & Lanzetta, J. T. (1982). The obligation to help: Factors affecting response to help received. European Journal of Social Psychology, 12, 315-319.