Score contribution per author:
α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count
Donors differ in the amount of official development assistance dedicated to poverty reduction. We investigate the causes of variation over time and donors by employing both a regression approach with aggregate data on bilateral aid and two short country studies on Germany and the United Kingdom. We find that there is a trade-off between the total amount of money given, and the amount of money given to poor countries. The trade-off is similar to the paradox of redistribution of targeting vs. redistribution in rich welfare states. Case-study evidence illustrates how countries have managed this tradeoff.