Abstract:

The U.S. has been providing aid to foster good governance, enhance human rights, and support democratic institutions worldwide. This commitment is followed by allocating substantial resources to nations transitioning towards more democratic governance systems. However, the effectiveness of such aid remains a subject of debate within development studies and international relations theory. This thesis examines the impact of U.S. assistance on democracy, human rights, and governance (DRG) in Kyrgyzstan. Unlike previous research that broadly addressed the influence of international aid across world regions, this study focuses exclusively on U.S. aid's effects on Kyrgyzstan's DRG sectors. Kyrgyzstan, having experienced significant political changes and often regarded as "Central Asia's democratic island," provides a unique case study. Using a mixed-methods approach, it integrates quantitative analyses of aid impact on governance indices with qualitative assessments from scholarly experts. The findings reveal an interesting result of a complex relationship where U.S. aid shows a moderate positive correlation with improvements in the democracy and human rights indexes but less influence on governance metrics. The results suggest that while U.S. aid has potential benefits, its effectiveness is significantly moderated by internal political dynamics and the broader geopolitical environment. This research contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of foreign aid's impact, offering insights for further studying of aid effectiveness within specific country contexts.