Description:
<jats:p>Perceptions of the impact and effectiveness of development aid are used to assess whether the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">EU</jats:styled-content> is viewed as a collective actor in foreign aid policy. Using Afrobarometer data, we explore the image of the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">EU</jats:styled-content> in Africa relative to that of France, Britain, the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">US</jats:styled-content> and China. We compare these results with the effects of trade and investment relationships between donor countries and their African counterparts. There are significant differences in the visibility of the major bilateral donors’ activities in sub‐Saharan Africa, and foreign aid has a positive impact on public opinion about the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">EU</jats:styled-content>. The <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">EU</jats:styled-content> has partially overcome its collective action dilemma and has come to be perceived as a foreign aid actor in its own right.</jats:p>