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Postdoctoral Research Fellow Opportunity in Chinese Overseas Lending
January 29, 2021
The China-Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS-CARI), directed by Professor Deborah Brautigam, will offer one pre- or post-doctoral research fellow position for a ten-month period during the 2021-2022 academic year (approximately June 2021 to May 2022).
Fellows will spend half of their time on their own Chinese loan-related research projects, and half providing support to CARI research on Chinese lending. This support could include drafting research papers, policy briefs, and related op-eds and “public square” pieces; presenting at conferences and public events; and assisting with, and participating in, interviews, outreach activities and communications as necessary.
The deadline for this application is 11:59pm EST on February 28, 2021.
Photo credit: Yunnan Chen
Policy Brief 52 and Working Paper 42 – Laying the Tracks: The Political Economy of Railway Development in Ethiopia’s Railway Sector and Implications for Technology Transfer
February 8, 2021
Explore Yunnan Chen's analysis of railway construction as a manifestation of China’s economic statecraft in Africa. As African leaders have eagerly leveraged the railway sector, this paper looks through the lens of African agency to examine the case of Ethiopia’s Chinese-financed railway projects, including the Addis- Djibouti Railway, contrasting it to Ethiopia’s experience with subsequent European/Turkish financed projects.
This working paper by Yunnan Chen is jointly published with Boston University’s Global Development Policy Center. Visit https://www.bu.edu/gdp/publications/ for a full list of the GDP Center’s publications.
CARI Interactive Database
In 2020, CARI launched its new interactive database of Chinese loan commitments. Click below to enter the portal.
Since 2007, SAIS-CARI researchers have collected, cleaned and analyzed open-source data to create a database on Chinese lending to Africa. Our data sources include official government documents, contractor websites, fieldwork, interviews, and media sources.
Between 2000 and 2018, we estimate that Chinese financiers signed 1,077 loan commitments worth US$ 148 billion with African governments and their state owned enterprises. Our figures are not equivalent to African government debt, as we do not track disbursement or repayment.
This data is updated regularly, and was last updated on July 1, 2020. If you notice any bugs, mistakes, or omissions, please e-mail kacker2@jhu.edu.
Photo credit: Afa’anwi Ma’abo Che
Image credit: Shutterstock & Free Vector Maps
Policy Brief 51 and Working Paper 42 – Comparing the Effects of Chinese and Traditional Official Finance on State Repression and Public Demonstrations in Africa
November 16, 2020
Join Dr. Che as he explores the effects of Chinese official finance on state repression and public demonstrations in Africa.
After using standard multiple regression analysis to measure how different attributes of Chinese and traditional official finance predict variations in rates of repression and demonstrations, Che looks at specific case studies in Cameroon and Uganda to illustrate his findings.
These research findings have policy implications scholars, journalists, and policy practitioners need to keep in mind moving forward.
Policy Brief 50 – French and Chinese Business Cooperation in Africa
November 9, 2020
Although little research exists on business engagement between French and Chinese companies in Africa, Thierry Pairault offers in this policy brief many significant examples of French and Chinese engagement.
While African governments want to carry out infrastructure projects at the lowest cost, they also want to ensure projects are carried out according to certain technical standards they are familiar with. Hence, at least in French-speaking countries, we see the choice of Chinese contractors to build and French engineering firms to supervise and manage.
Read on to see how the future of any cooperation will lie with the business sector, and with individual firms.
Photo credit: Shutterstock
Latest CARI Blog Post – French-language Webinar on French-Chinese Business Cooperation in Africa (Nov 10, 2020)
December 14, 2020
Many aspects of Sino-African relations receive biased or simplistic media coverage. This is especially true of highly nuanced issues, like the dynamics between Chinese and Western business activity in African countries. While most former colonial powers have seen their market shares across Africa decrease as China has grown its economic footprint on the continent, their total volume of trade with African countries has increased. In raw numbers, trade between the European Union and Africa has grown more than China-Africa trade over the past decade. These developments, along with various rumors and misconceptions, are often used to frame the situation as a zero-sum competition between China and the EU. The truth of the matter, however, is far more complex.
On November 10, the China Africa Research Initiative (CARI) hosted a panel discussion on the evolving landscape of French-Chinese business cooperation on the African continent. The event, conducted entirely in French, featured experts on the subject from both academia and the private sector. The panel followed the publication of “French and Chinese Business Cooperation in Africa,” a CARI policy brief written by Professor Thierry Pairault, who was one of the featured speakers at the event.
Read more on CARI’s blog.
