Economic assistance from one country to another, the recipient typically being a less developed country (LDC). Aid is usually intended either to provide humanitarian relief in emergencies, to promote economic development, or to finance military expenditure. Aid may take the form of outright gifts of money, which may be tied to purchases from the donor, or untied and available for expenditure anywhere. It may take the form of soft loan, on terms easier than those available to the borrower in world capital markets. Aid may also be given in kind, including food, plant and equipment, military supplies or technical assistance. Bilateral aid is given directly by a donor to a recipient country; multilateral aid is channeled through an international organization, without direct contact between donors and particular recipients. How much actual good is done by aid varies widely from case to case, and is often the subject of considerable controversy.

See also:

grant in aid, tied aid, and untied aid

• rights issue
• rights, property
• risk
• risk-adjusted return on capital
• risk-averse
• risk bearing
• risk capital
• risk-free security
• risk-loving
• risk-neutral
• risk pooling
• risk premium
• risk sharing
• risk taking
• river pollution
• robustness of policies
• roll-over of loans
• Rome, Treaty of
• root
• rounding error
• round, wage
• row
• royalties
• RPC
• RPI