Aiding Animals: Does Foreign Aid Reduce Wildlife Crime?
Jonas Gamso
Global Management, Thunderbird School of (TSGM)
The illegal wildlife trade has come to the forefront of global politics, driven by concerns about biodiversity loss, illicit markets, and animal-borne infectious diseases. Yet, poaching remains common in many countries. The persistence of illegal hunting is attributable to (among other factors) poverty and poor labor market opportunities, which leave individuals in some communities with few viable alternatives to wildlife crime. Foreign aid that alleviates poverty and unemployment may, therefore, lead to a reduction in illegal hunting. However, cross-national research on aid and economic development offers mixed findings, suggesting a conditional effect. Against this backdrop, I theorize that aid reduces the economic pressures that contribute to poaching, but only in countries with representative political institutions. I test a corresponding hypothesis using data on elephant poaching in African and Asian countries. My findings show that aid is accompanied by a reduction in elephant poaching in democracies, but not in authoritarian countries.
Journal of Environment and Development
Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Dive into the research topics of 'Aiding Animals: Does Foreign Aid Reduce Wildlife Crime?'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Poaching Business & Economics 100%
Foreign Aid Business & Economics 95%
poaching Earth & Environmental Sciences 89%
Wildlife Business & Economics 88%
crime Earth & Environmental Sciences 81%
Crime Business & Economics 71%
aid Earth & Environmental Sciences 64%
wildlife Earth & Environmental Sciences 58%
Gamso, J. (Accepted/In press). Aiding Animals: Does Foreign Aid Reduce Wildlife Crime? Journal of Environment and Development. https://doi.org/10.1177/10704965221134820
Aiding Animals : Does Foreign Aid Reduce Wildlife Crime? / Gamso, Jonas.
In: Journal of Environment and Development, 2022.
Gamso, J 2022, 'Aiding Animals: Does Foreign Aid Reduce Wildlife Crime?', Journal of Environment and Development. https://doi.org/10.1177/10704965221134820
Gamso J. Aiding Animals: Does Foreign Aid Reduce Wildlife Crime? Journal of Environment and Development. 2022. doi: 10.1177/10704965221134820
Gamso, Jonas. / Aiding Animals : Does Foreign Aid Reduce Wildlife Crime?. In: Journal of Environment and Development. 2022.
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title = "Aiding Animals: Does Foreign Aid Reduce Wildlife Crime?",
abstract = "The illegal wildlife trade has come to the forefront of global politics, driven by concerns about biodiversity loss, illicit markets, and animal-borne infectious diseases. Yet, poaching remains common in many countries. The persistence of illegal hunting is attributable to (among other factors) poverty and poor labor market opportunities, which leave individuals in some communities with few viable alternatives to wildlife crime. Foreign aid that alleviates poverty and unemployment may, therefore, lead to a reduction in illegal hunting. However, cross-national research on aid and economic development offers mixed findings, suggesting a conditional effect. Against this backdrop, I theorize that aid reduces the economic pressures that contribute to poaching, but only in countries with representative political institutions. I test a corresponding hypothesis using data on elephant poaching in African and Asian countries. My findings show that aid is accompanied by a reduction in elephant poaching in democracies, but not in authoritarian countries.",
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N2 - The illegal wildlife trade has come to the forefront of global politics, driven by concerns about biodiversity loss, illicit markets, and animal-borne infectious diseases. Yet, poaching remains common in many countries. The persistence of illegal hunting is attributable to (among other factors) poverty and poor labor market opportunities, which leave individuals in some communities with few viable alternatives to wildlife crime. Foreign aid that alleviates poverty and unemployment may, therefore, lead to a reduction in illegal hunting. However, cross-national research on aid and economic development offers mixed findings, suggesting a conditional effect. Against this backdrop, I theorize that aid reduces the economic pressures that contribute to poaching, but only in countries with representative political institutions. I test a corresponding hypothesis using data on elephant poaching in African and Asian countries. My findings show that aid is accompanied by a reduction in elephant poaching in democracies, but not in authoritarian countries.
AB - The illegal wildlife trade has come to the forefront of global politics, driven by concerns about biodiversity loss, illicit markets, and animal-borne infectious diseases. Yet, poaching remains common in many countries. The persistence of illegal hunting is attributable to (among other factors) poverty and poor labor market opportunities, which leave individuals in some communities with few viable alternatives to wildlife crime. Foreign aid that alleviates poverty and unemployment may, therefore, lead to a reduction in illegal hunting. However, cross-national research on aid and economic development offers mixed findings, suggesting a conditional effect. Against this backdrop, I theorize that aid reduces the economic pressures that contribute to poaching, but only in countries with representative political institutions. I test a corresponding hypothesis using data on elephant poaching in African and Asian countries. My findings show that aid is accompanied by a reduction in elephant poaching in democracies, but not in authoritarian countries.
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KW - wildlife crime
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