ABSTRACT
An analytic scheme consists of several research parameters and theoretical constructs which give structure and guidance to the research process. For this research project, the analytical scheme must integrate the basic premises and propositions of the international and domestic approaches to explaining United States bilateral foreign aid allocations. The basic research methodology is to operationalize the Executive branch’s request for funds and Congressional appropriations as the dependent variables. To explain the variance in the dependent variables across recipient states, several models, designed to capture the foreign aid decision making goals of the analytical scheme, are operationalized and regressed against the dependent variables. To test the validity of the propositions presented, it is necessary to operationalize indicators to measure the relative strength of the hypothesized causal relationships. The domestic interest model operationalizes six indicators designed to measure the strength of the donor state’s economy and domestic political pressures.
