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Chinese Development Assistance and West African Agriculture : A Shifting Approach to Foreign Aid?

Mahmoud, Yahia LU (2007) In Meddelande från Lunds universitets geografiska institution. Avhandlingar
Abstract
China's economic rise and its implications for international relations have attracted worldwide attention in recent years. The outcomes of this development are numerous, complex and involve a wide range of issues. In addition to radical consequences for the Chinese society itself they are also affecting the rest of the world. In this context, there is a big uncertainty of what China’s economic development might mean for other developing countries. This study takes its start in this last concern.



As a developing country that reached an impressive economic growth in a relatively short period of time, China is becoming a model of economic development for many countries in the South. What is more, China’s successful... (More)
China's economic rise and its implications for international relations have attracted worldwide attention in recent years. The outcomes of this development are numerous, complex and involve a wide range of issues. In addition to radical consequences for the Chinese society itself they are also affecting the rest of the world. In this context, there is a big uncertainty of what China’s economic development might mean for other developing countries. This study takes its start in this last concern.



As a developing country that reached an impressive economic growth in a relatively short period of time, China is becoming a model of economic development for many countries in the South. What is more, China’s successful political networking in the past puts it in a special position to disseminate some ideas and practices of development. Based on its own experience, tainted by pragmatism and focus on basic issues first, China has implemented through the past forty years a wide range of development projects in Africa. The many-sided results of these efforts have been widely ignored and underestimated by western academia.



Sub-Saharan Africa’s dependence on food import has grown rapidly since the mid 1980s. Simultaneously, the share of aid directed towards agricultural development has declined significantly. This has left millions of people at the mercy of international production and price fluctuations. Agriculture is still the dorsal spine of the West African economies and in spite of more than fifty years of foreign aid many of the targeted problems still seem to persist.



This dissertation evaluates the meaning and consequences of China’s efforts in West Africa through the empirical study of two agricultural projects that have survived for more than thirty years and became imbedded in local economies. The study, which uses a critical realist framework, seeks to understand not only the determinants behind China’s assistance to West Africa but above all its implications for local economies. The study argues that collaboration based on mutual benefit, long-term basis and local needs could represent a sound approach to foreign aid, in general, and agricultural assistance, in particular. (Less)
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author
supervisor
opponent
  • Fil. Dr. Delman, Jörgen, Nordiska Institutet för Asiatiska Studier (NIAS)
organization
publishing date
type
Thesis
publication status
published
subject
keywords
China in Africa, West African Agriculture, Chinese Foreign Aid, Agricultural Development, Foreign Aid
in
Meddelande från Lunds universitets geografiska institution. Avhandlingar
issue
175
pages
245 pages
publisher
Department of Social and Economic Geography, Lund University
defense location
Geocentrum I, Sölvegatan 10, Sal 111 (Världen)
defense date
2007-12-19 13:15:00
ISSN
0346-6787
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
da929e20-4b37-4fb7-8850-8eb307b31d92 (old id 609947)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 15:53:11
date last changed
2019-08-15 16:12:48
@phdthesis{da929e20-4b37-4fb7-8850-8eb307b31d92,
  abstract     = {{China's economic rise and its implications for international relations have attracted worldwide attention in recent years. The outcomes of this development are numerous, complex and involve a wide range of issues. In addition to radical consequences for the Chinese society itself they are also affecting the rest of the world. In this context, there is a big uncertainty of what China’s economic development might mean for other developing countries. This study takes its start in this last concern.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
As a developing country that reached an impressive economic growth in a relatively short period of time, China is becoming a model of economic development for many countries in the South. What is more, China’s successful political networking in the past puts it in a special position to disseminate some ideas and practices of development. Based on its own experience, tainted by pragmatism and focus on basic issues first, China has implemented through the past forty years a wide range of development projects in Africa. The many-sided results of these efforts have been widely ignored and underestimated by western academia.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
Sub-Saharan Africa’s dependence on food import has grown rapidly since the mid 1980s. Simultaneously, the share of aid directed towards agricultural development has declined significantly. This has left millions of people at the mercy of international production and price fluctuations. Agriculture is still the dorsal spine of the West African economies and in spite of more than fifty years of foreign aid many of the targeted problems still seem to persist.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
This dissertation evaluates the meaning and consequences of China’s efforts in West Africa through the empirical study of two agricultural projects that have survived for more than thirty years and became imbedded in local economies. The study, which uses a critical realist framework, seeks to understand not only the determinants behind China’s assistance to West Africa but above all its implications for local economies. The study argues that collaboration based on mutual benefit, long-term basis and local needs could represent a sound approach to foreign aid, in general, and agricultural assistance, in particular.}},
  author       = {{Mahmoud, Yahia}},
  issn         = {{0346-6787}},
  keywords     = {{China in Africa; West African Agriculture; Chinese Foreign Aid; Agricultural Development; Foreign Aid}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{175}},
  publisher    = {{Department of Social and Economic Geography, Lund University}},
  school       = {{Lund University}},
  series       = {{Meddelande från Lunds universitets geografiska institution. Avhandlingar}},
  title        = {{Chinese Development Assistance and West African Agriculture : A Shifting Approach to Foreign Aid?}},
  year         = {{2007}},
}