Vilka motiv finns till att ge demokratibistånd? : En kvalitativ motivanalys av Sveriges demokratibistånd

Democracy aid is increasing rapidly as it has become one of the main tools for supporting democratization abroad. Yet, global democracy is decreasing drastically. This has left policymakers and researchers to question the effects of democracy aid and whether it is desirable. This raises the question of how donor countries motivate giving democracy aid. Sweden is the world’s largest donor per capita with extensive democracy aid and is thereby an important case to study. Hence, this thesis aims to map Swedish motives for giving democracy aid by answering the question: How is Swedish democracy aid motivated? By using a motive analysis, the study investigates public documents for the time period 2009-2021. The findings imply that Swedish democracy aid is motivated by reducing people’s suffering, increasing the access to human rights, preventing armed conflicts and creating peace. Further, the aid should promote Swedish interests and values abroad. The study shows that the humanitarian motive is the primary motive for democracy aid. By reaching this conclusion, the study questions the dependency between democracy aid and democracy, suggesting that the democracy aid instead could be investigated in relation to humanitarian effects. The study contributes with a deeper understanding of how Swedish democracy aid is motivated and what influences the allocation of it. These findings can possibly indicate what expectations we can have on donors providing democracy aid