White Americans are supportive of redistribution to foreigners of African descent, but for prejudicial and paternalistic reasons

Abstract

Why are so many Americans supportive of giving aid to foreigners – especially in Africa? In new research, Andy Baker finds that Americans are more supportive of giving foreign aid to black foreigners compared to whites. By comparing respondents’ generosity towards blacks and whites in countries with roughly equivalent levels of GDP per capita, he finds that this difference in generosity is down to attitudes of racial paternalism, with Americans considering that black Africans are helpless victims, rather than active agents in their own development outcomes