Seung Deok Seo

I am a Ph.D. student in Political Science at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, specializing in Comparative Politics and International Relations.

I study the politics of foreign aid and civil society in aid-receiving countries. My research examines how external funding shapes political incentives, organizational behavior, and relationships among civil society organizations, with a regional focus on the Middle East.

My dissertation asks why NGOs cooperate with one another in some contexts but compete in others. Focusing on Jordan, I examine how organizational identity structures inter-NGO relations in aid-dependent environments. The project uses a mixed-methods design, combining network analysis, surveys, experiments, and qualitative interviews.

Two related projects extend this research agenda. One examines how religious affinity between donors and recipients shapes public attitudes toward foreign aid; the other studies how NGO laws affect organizational autonomy and the political space available to civil society.

My research has received support from the Institute for Humane Studies, the University of Illinois Graduate College, the Department of Political Science, and the Evelyne Accad and Paul Vieille International Research Award.

Education

Ph.D. in Political Science (Comparative Politics; International Relations)
University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign (Expected 2027–2028)
M.Sc. in Development Studies
London School of Economics and Political Science
B.A. in Arabic Interpretation and Translation
Hankuk University of Foreign Studies

Working Papers

Cooperation and Competition among NGOs in Aid-Dependent Environments: Evidence from Jordan (Dissertation Project)
Do Donor Interests Travel Below the State? Saudi Aid Allocation in Indonesia (with Paul Un)

Abstract

The foreign aid literature argues that donors allocate aid according to strategic, political, and identity-based interests. Yet it remains unclear whether such allocation patterns, observed at the cross-national level, also appear within recipient states at the subnational level. We address this question by examining Saudi aid, asking whether the country-level pattern of favoring Muslim-majority recipients is also reflected in the distribution of aid within a recipient state. Using newly available project-level data from the Saudi Aid Platform, we analyze how Saudi Arabia allocates its aid across subnational units in Indonesia, a country whose religious diversity and the presence of Islamist political parties make it a suitable setting. We find limited evidence that Saudi aid is directed toward districts with larger Muslim populations, but more consistent evidence that it is associated with districts where Islamist parties hold a larger share of legislative seats. These findings suggest that identity-based donor interests may operate through the local institutional presence of Islamic political actors rather than broad demographic targeting.
Donor Identity and Recipient Perceptions: A Conjoint Experiment on Foreign Aid in Indonesia (with Paul Un)

Abstract

While existing research shows that donor trust shapes aid preferences in recipient countries, less is known about how that trust is formed. We argue that perceived religious closeness between donor and recipient countries serves as an identity heuristic shaping donor trust formation: this perceived identity alignment reduces skepticism about donors’ strategic motives, thereby increasing the perceived legitimacy of aid. We test this argument using a conjoint experiment with 1,600 respondents in Indonesia—the world’s largest Muslim-majority country and a recipient of aid from religiously diverse donors, including the United States, China, and Saudi Arabia. We hypothesize that respondents will prefer aid from donors perceived as religiously closer. We also explore whether religiously framed projects receive greater support than secular or gender-focused programs. This project advances theoretical understanding of how shared identity shapes the formation of donor trust among recipient publics.
Staying Open, Going Quiet: How Restrictive NGO Laws Suppress Civil Society Activity

Abstract

Restrictive NGO laws have proliferated across aid-receiving countries over the past two decades. Existing research shows that these laws reshape the NGO sector and prompt democracy-oriented donors to scale back their support. Yet a recurring pattern remains underexplored: the number of registered NGOs often remains stable following law passage, even as civil society activity appears to decline. This paper argues that restrictive NGO laws produce a chilling effect that suppresses civil society activity beyond the documented retreat of foreign donors. Using an updated dataset of restrictive NGO laws and V-Dem measures of civil society participation, we examine post-law changes in civil society activity across aid-receiving countries.

Grants & Fellowships

Institute for Qualitative and Multi-Method Research (IQMR), Admitted Participant (Summer 2026)
Humane Studies Fellowship, Institute for Humane Studies (IHS) (2026)
Evelyne Accad and Paul Vieille Research Award (2026)
Graduate College Dissertation Travel Grant (2025–26)
Graduate Research and Professionalization Fund (2025–26)
Illinois Global Institute Language Fellowship in Arabic (2024–25)

Professional & Field Experience

UN Women — Palestine Country Office
Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) — Iraq Country Office
Regional Experience (Training & Study Abroad) — Egypt; Jordan; Israel; Tunisia

Contact

Email: sdseo2@illinois.edu
CV: CV (PDF)

Outside of research, I enjoy photography. Below are selected photographs from my time living in the Middle East.

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