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Authoritarian Partnerships or Genuine Development Cooperation?

Mohr, Matthias LU (2024) EKHS21 20241
Department of Economic History
Abstract
China has established itself as the most important partner of many African countries. However, it is often labelled as a purely self-interested actor, who helps authoritarians stay in power. This thesis aims to enhance our understanding of the nature of China’s development finance through a two-step analysis. First, I investigate the allocation of Chinese aid to African countries, examining its relationship with two measures of institutional quality. Consistent with previous studies, no correlation is found, suggesting that China’s development finance is extended to both democracies and autocracies in Africa without distinction. Following this, a qualitative case study of Zambia and Zimbabwe explores how Chinese aid impacts these countries... (More)
China has established itself as the most important partner of many African countries. However, it is often labelled as a purely self-interested actor, who helps authoritarians stay in power. This thesis aims to enhance our understanding of the nature of China’s development finance through a two-step analysis. First, I investigate the allocation of Chinese aid to African countries, examining its relationship with two measures of institutional quality. Consistent with previous studies, no correlation is found, suggesting that China’s development finance is extended to both democracies and autocracies in Africa without distinction. Following this, a qualitative case study of Zambia and Zimbabwe explores how Chinese aid impacts these countries and the extent to which institutional differences result in divergent outcomes. The findings indicate that debt to China poses fewer concerns than commonly assumed, but overall economic benefits remain modest. Projects frequently encounter implementation challenges, although Zambia experiences greater success than Zimbabwe, particularly in infrastructure. Nonetheless, governance issues lead to negative consequences of Chinese aid in both countries, notably in environmental degradation, labour standards, and continued resource dependency. These challenges are mirrored by growing anti-Chinese sentiments among the population. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Mohr, Matthias LU
supervisor
organization
alternative title
Chinese Development Finance in Africa examined in different institutional environments.
course
EKHS21 20241
year
type
H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
subject
language
English
id
9175712
date added to LUP
2024-10-17 09:12:38
date last changed
2024-10-17 09:12:38
@misc{9175712,
  abstract     = {{China has established itself as the most important partner of many African countries. However, it is often labelled as a purely self-interested actor, who helps authoritarians stay in power. This thesis aims to enhance our understanding of the nature of China’s development finance through a two-step analysis. First, I investigate the allocation of Chinese aid to African countries, examining its relationship with two measures of institutional quality. Consistent with previous studies, no correlation is found, suggesting that China’s development finance is extended to both democracies and autocracies in Africa without distinction. Following this, a qualitative case study of Zambia and Zimbabwe explores how Chinese aid impacts these countries and the extent to which institutional differences result in divergent outcomes. The findings indicate that debt to China poses fewer concerns than commonly assumed, but overall economic benefits remain modest. Projects frequently encounter implementation challenges, although Zambia experiences greater success than Zimbabwe, particularly in infrastructure. Nonetheless, governance issues lead to negative consequences of Chinese aid in both countries, notably in environmental degradation, labour standards, and continued resource dependency. These challenges are mirrored by growing anti-Chinese sentiments among the population.}},
  author       = {{Mohr, Matthias}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Authoritarian Partnerships or Genuine Development Cooperation?}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}