Diverse domain-driven policy: Defining US foreign assistance.

This paper examines internal inconsistencies of US foreign aid policy through three policy process frameworks: social construction and problem definition, policy domains and policies without publics. Previous work has contrasted diffuse component-driven (child, urban policy) and domain-driven policy (health, Veterans policy), with the latter known for its clear constituencies and Congressional committees, narrow issue focus and specialized knowledge base. Content analysis of Congressional hearing testimony and State of the Union addresses from 1981-2004 reveals remarkable stability of a multi-component definition of foreign aid policy, comprised of economic growth, poverty reduction, national security, democracy promotion and multilateral aid. Characterized less by competing problem definitions advanced by opposing advocacy coalitions, foreign aid policy is more a technical debate among experts about how best to achieve diverse, often conflicting objectives. These results offer a unique case in policy domain coherence, featuring disparate targeting of policies among the advantaged, dependents and deviants, a wide, but shared issue focus, and narrow interest involvement that does not include an active and visible public. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]