Freakonomics Blog » Need some foreign aid from the US? Make sure to get your country on the UN Security Council

A fascinating paper: “How Much is a Seat on the Security Council Worth? Foreign Aid and Bribery at the United Nations.” [pdf]

… when a country takes over one of the rotating seats on the UN Security
Council, U.S. foreign aid jumps by almost 60%. When the country leaves
the Security Council, the aid falls back to the old levels. The impact
on aid is even larger when there are important international events
(like invasions of Iraq) that put the Security Council in the spotlight.

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