The Role of Historical Christian Missions in the Location of World Bank Aid in Africa
研究发现，非洲历史上基督教传教团的位置与当今世界银行援助的分配存在显著正相关，但这种相关性并不反映援助有效性，而可能与传教区与中央政府之间的政治联系有关。
Abstract This article documents a positive and sizable correlation between the location of historical Christian missions and the allocation of present-day World Bank aid at the grid-cell level in Africa. The correlation is robust to an extensive set of geographical and historical control variables that predict settlement of missions. The study finds no correlation with aid effectiveness, as measured by project ratings and survey-based development indicators. Mission areas display a different political aid cycle than other areas, whereby new projects are less likely to arrive in years with new presidents. Hence, political connections between mission areas and central governments could be one likely explanation for the correlation between missions and aid.