As democracy develops in poor countries around the world, wealthier countries have sought to enhance social development and democratization through foreign aid. Although the national state has historically been the recipient of aid, some donors have begun to consider donations to local governments. If local government is democratic, it may deliver aid more immediately than does national government. The question relates to concerns in comparative politics about which level of government best enhances democratization, the national or the local level. This article speaks to International Relations and comparative politics by suggesting that, under sequencing conditions that grant political autonomy first, local government can be democratic and can be an effective recipient for aid. The article explores the Nicaraguan case where these conditions prevailed to show how this scenario can unfold. In Nicaragua, donors have had a powerful effect on improving people’s lives and on advancing democratization. As the democratic quality of the national government has declined, foreign aid has continued to advance democratization by providing mayors with a resource base independent of national government.

中文翻译：

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尼加拉瓜民主的国际贡献：外国市政捐款对社会发展的作用

随着世界各地贫穷国家民主的发展，富裕国家寻求通过外援促进社会发展和民主化。尽管民族国家历来是援助的接受者，但一些捐助者已经开始考虑向地方政府捐款。如果地方政府是民主的，它可能比中央政府更迅速地提供援助。这个问题涉及比较政治中关于哪个级别的政府最能促进民主化，国家或地方级别的关注。本文针对国际关系和比较政治提出以下建议：在优先授予政治自治的排序条件下，地方政府可以是民主的，并且可以成为有效的援助接受者。这篇文章探讨了尼加拉瓜案例，其中这些条件盛行，以展示这种情况如何展开。在尼加拉瓜，捐助者对改善人民生活和推进民主化产生了强大的影响。由于国家政府的民主素质下降，外援通过为市长提供独立于国家政府的资源基础继续推进民主化。