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An empirical study of Japan's ODA: A neomercantilist model?

Jiang Ren, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Abstract

The objective of this dissertation is to test empirically the prevalent neomercantilist hypothesis of Japan's foreign aid policy. That hypothesis claims that Japan's aid is designed to promote Japanese exports and economic development and to help secure sources of raw materials. Employing time series and cross-sectional regression techniques, this dissertation determines whether and to what extent Japan's foreign aid has promoted its exports to recipient countries over the years. Ultimately the dissertation sheds light on the empirical basis of the neomercantilist hypothesis. The dissertation consists of five chapters. Following a brief introduction, chapter two reviews the history of Japanese foreign aid as well as the relevant literature on foreign aid motivations. It examines the major theoretical perspectives on donor motivations in general and Japan's foreign aid motivations in particular. Chapter three explains the research design in detail. Chapter four is devoted to data analysis and presenting the findings of the study. The concluding chapter assesses the neomercantilist hypothesis in light of the findings of the study. It also discusses the implications of the study for the existing theoretical perspectives on Japan's foreign aid and the practical implications for Japan's future role in the international political economy. Based on analysis of 33 years of data and comparison with four other major donors, this study finds that Japan does not appear to have used ODA to promote its exports to the recipient countries. This major finding challenges the assumptions of the prevalent neomercantilist hypothesis of Japan's ODA. This dissertation is oriented toward a question of practical importance which pertains to Japan's anticipated leadership in foreign aid and in the international political economy. The issue of ODA is likely to remain an important issue in future international political economy. The study reported in this dissertation represents an effort in the on-going dialectic between theory and the empirical world.

Subject Area

International law|International relations

Recommended Citation

Ren, Jiang, "An empirical study of Japan's ODA: A neomercantilist model?" (1997). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9734636.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9734636

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