In Aid We Trust : Hearts and Minds and the Pakistan Earthquake of 2005

Winning "hearts and minds" in the Muslim world is an explicitly acknowledged aim of U.S. foreign policy and increasingly, bilateral foreign aid is recognized as a vehicle towards this end. The authors examine the effect of aid from foreign organizations and on-the-ground presence of foreigners following the 2005 earthquake in Northern Pakistan on local attitudes. They show that four years after the earthquake, humanitarian assistance by foreigners and foreign organizations has left a lasting imprint on population attitudes. Measured in three different ways those living closer to the fault-line report more positive attitudes towards foreigners, including Europeans and Americans; trust in foreigners decreases 6 percentage points for every 10 Kilometers distance from the fault-line. In contrast, there is no association between distance to the fault-line and trust in local populations. Pre-existing differences in socioeconomic characteristics or population attitudes do not account for this finding. Instead, the relationship between trust in foreigners and proximity to the fault-line mirrors the greater provision of foreign aid and foreign presence in these villages. In villages closest to the fault-line, foreign organizations were the second largest providers of aid after the Pakistan army (despite reports to the contrary aid provision by militant organizations was extremely limited, with less than 1 percent of all respondents reporting any help from such organizations). The results provide a compelling case that trust in foreigners is malleable, responds to humanitarian actions by foreigners and is not a deep-rooted function of local preferences.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Andrabi, Tahir, Das, Jishnu
Language:	English
Published:	2010-10-01
Subjects:	ADULT EDUCATION, ADULT LITERACY, AMBASSADOR, BIASES, BOUNDARIES, CASUALTIES, CHANGE IN POPULATION, CHILD HEALTH, COMPENSATION POLICY, CONFLICT, COOPERATIVES, CORRELATIONS, COUNTERINSURGENCY, DEATH TOLL, DEATHS, DEMOCRACY, DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS, DEVASTATION, DISASTER ASSISTANCE, DISASTERS, DUMMY VARIABLES, EARTHQUAKE, EARTHQUAKES, EMBASSY, EMERGENCY RELIEF, EMERGENCY SHELTERS, EXTENDED FAMILIES, EXTENDED FAMILY, FAULT LINE, FEWER HOUSEHOLDS, FINANCIAL AID, FINANCIAL SUPPORT, FLOOD, FLOOD RELIEF, FLOODING, FLOODS, FOREIGN AID, FOREIGN POLICY, FOREIGNER, FOREIGNERS, FORMAL EDUCATION, FRONTIER, GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS, HOUSEHOLD LEVEL, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, HUMANITARIAN AID, HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE, HURRICANE, HURRICANES, HYPOTHESES, IMPACT OF DISASTERS, IMPORTANT POLICY, INDIVIDUALS, INSTRUMENTAL VARIABLES, INTERNATIONAL BANK, INTERNATIONAL SECURITY, JOURNALISTS, KINSHIP, KINSHIP GROUP, LABOR MARKET, LEVEL OF EDUCATION, LIKERT SCALE, LIMITED, LIVING CONDITIONS, LOCAL POPULATION, MEDICAL FACILITY, MEDICINES, MEETING, MISSING OBSERVATIONS, MORTALITY, MUNICIPALITIES, NATIONS, NATURAL DISASTER, NATURAL DISASTERS, NATURAL HAZARDS, NURSES, PEACE, POLICY IMPLICATIONS, POLICY MAKERS, POLICY RESEARCH, POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER, POLITICAL PROCESS, POLITICAL VIOLENCE, POPULATION CENSUS, POPULATION GROUPS, POPULATION VARIABLES, PROBABILITY, PROGRESS, PUBLIC SERVICES, RECONSTRUCTION, REGRESSION ANALYSIS, REHABILITATION, RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POPULATION, RELIEF AGENCY, RELIEF EFFORT, RELIEF EFFORTS, RELIEF OPERATIONS, RELIEF WORK, RELIGIOUS REASONS, RESCUE, RESPECT, RISK AVERSION, ROADS, SAMPLE SIZE, SECONDARY EDUCATION, SERVICE DELIVERY, SEX, SOCIETIES, SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, SPOUSE, STANDARD ERRORS, SURVEYORS, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, TERRORISM, TERRORIST, TRUSTS, TSUNAMI, TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONS, UNION, URBAN AREAS, URBAN SLUMS, VALIDITY, VIOLENCE, VULNERABILITY,
Online Access:	http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20101005131809 https://hdl.handle.net/10986/3922
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