17 results
Search Results
2. The role of unit labor costs in African manufacturing investment and export performance.
- Author
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Naidoo, Karmen and Ndikumana, Léonce
- Subjects
LABOR costs ,REAL wages ,LABOR productivity ,DEVELOPING countries ,INDUSTRIAL policy ,MANUFACTURING industries - Abstract
Several studies have pointed out that manufacturing wages are relatively higher in African countries than in other countries at similar levels of development, and that this contributes to the continent's lower levels of manufacturing competitiveness. This paper derives unit labor costs (ULCs)—average wages relative to productivity—for two‐digit manufacturing sectors across a sample of 79 developed and developing countries, including 13 African countries, over the 1990–2015 period. We benchmark the ULCs to China and estimate the relationship between relative ULCs and manufacturing sector investment rates and export performance. We find that relative ULCs have a smaller association with exports in Africa relative to other developing regions. There is some evidence that investment responds to changes in relative ULCs in Africa; however, the estimated effects are smaller than in the full sample. Further, we find that for Africa, the level of labor productivity has a quantitatively stronger and more robust association with manufacturing performance than the level of real wages. The results have important implications for industrial policy in African countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
3. Making as imaginative crossroads: Ghanaian makers and the geopolitics of technological progress.
- Author
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Avle, Seyram
- Subjects
GEOPOLITICS ,TECHNOLOGICAL progress ,TECHNOLOGY & politics - Abstract
This paper is about the politics of technological progress as it is being played out among a loose network of Ghanaian makers. It unpacks how the practice of 'making' unfolds as a site for positioning the self and the nation within a global imaginary of techno futures. The paper argues, first, that 'making' in Ghana is emblematic of a crossroads of imaginative possibilities for technological design and production, and second, that this marks a distinct turn in the politics of technological progress, particularly when situated against ongoing econo‐political negotiations between the Global south, the West, and China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
4. Framing China's tropics: Thermal techno‐politics of socialist tropical architecture in Africa (1960s−1980s).
- Author
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Sun, Zhijian
- Subjects
SOCIALISM ,THERMAL comfort ,DEVELOPING countries ,SCHOLARLY method ,MATERIAL culture - Abstract
This paper seeks to position socialist China in the mobility of global socialism in the context of Cold‐War politics. It examines how the techno‐politics of China and the Soviet‐bloc's socialist tropical architecture differently reconfigured thermal exchanges between the environment, human body and a series of other multi‐scalar things in Africa during the 1960s−1980s. Drawing on the theories of thermal material culture, techno‐politics and science and technology studies (STS), it constructs a cross‐cultural comparison between China and Soviet‐bloc, aiming to achieve a more nuanced techno‐political understanding of mid‐late twentieth century socialist architecture in the Global South. It also hopes to contribute to recent scholarship about thermal comfort and governance in the context of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
5. Evidences on Donors Competition in Africa: Traditional Donors versus China.
- Author
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Kilama, Eric Gabin
- Subjects
ECONOMIC competition ,BUSINESS expansion ,ECONOMIC development ,FINANCIAL crises ,ACCOUNTING - Abstract
This paper describes the aid allocation behaviours of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) donors and their response to the emergence of China in the aid landscape. Our analysis presents evidences of donors' competition in Africa. We investigate whether African countries with the Chinese influence expanding receive favourable aid modalities from G7 donors over the period 2000-2011. We find a robust positive relationship between the level of aid and the number of China projects a country receives and the level of bilateral aid from G7 donors, even after accounting for standard economic and political factors. Results indicate that DAC donors use bilateral aid to tackle the increasing influence of China in Africa, by delivering more aid to countries with natural resources or strategic political interest. The paper also assesses empirically whether strategic interests and economic competition between DAC donors and China have influenced the composition of aid flows received by African countries. Our empirical strategy is sharpened by the use of a spatial-X model and a difference-in-difference estimation that leverages a 'natural' experiment in DAC aid flows in the aftermath of the financial crisis, with China increasing his sphere of influence in Africa. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
6. China's diversification strategy in Latin American and African markets: Defense software and hardware exports.
- Author
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Gouvea, Raul, Kapelianis, Dimitri, and Terra, Branca
- Subjects
BELT & Road Initiative ,MILITARY readiness ,FOREIGN investments ,GEOPOLITICS - Abstract
In the past two decades, China has become a strategic economic partner for both Latin American and African nations. China's economic global relevance is translating via its "Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)" into massive amounts of foreign trade, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), loans, and aid for both regions. Recently, China has added a national security and defense dimension to its BRI relationship with both regions. China's global strategic economic, geopolitical, and global defense goals are being expressed in its global "Road and Belt" power initiatives and strategies. This paper explores an additional dimension of China's BRI initiative: its role in both regions' defense industries and national security environments. China is increasingly using its trade and investment leverage with both regions to unbalance their defense choices and strategic defense relationships. China's increasing interactions with African and Latin American countries poses a number of geopolitical implications for both the United States and Western European countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
7. Locating Africa in China's community of shared future for mankind: A relational approach.
- Author
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Eisenman, Joshua
- Subjects
COMMUNITIES ,AFRICA-China relations ,HUMAN beings ,DEVELOPING countries ,RECIPROCITY (Psychology) - Abstract
This study applies a Chinese theoretical framework—relationality, as articulated by Qin Yaqing—to explain how Beijing creates and manipulates its relations with African partners to advance its "core interests" and leadership of the Global South. Relationality elucidates the "Community of Shared Future for Mankind"—an interlocking, multitiered network of Sinocentric relationships based on traditional Confucian conceptions of reciprocity. The pervasiveness of China's influence in Africa can be explained by its overlapping latticework of relationships involving thousands of African elites traversing all four levels—bilateral, subregional, regional and global. At each level, Chinese interlocutors use material support, inclusive rhetoric and host diplomacy to create and perpetuate so‐called "win–win" relationships with African partners. Because the "relational power" these dyads generate disproportionately strengthens the weaker side, China can elicit African compliance by reducing—or threatening to reduce—its shared economic and political resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
8. Changing China, Changing Africa: Future Contours of an Emerging Relationship.
- Author
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Davies, Martyn, Draper, Peter, and Edinger, Hannah
- Subjects
GOVERNMENT business enterprises ,INDUSTRIALIZATION ,CAPITAL investments ,MATHEMATICAL models of economic development ,INTERNATIONAL relations policy - Abstract
Current China- Africa relations have been statically framed: China invests in the continent and exports resources extracted by its state-owned enterprises and fuelled by aid flows, while simultaneously undercutting African industry through cheap exports. We frame this debate, then explore how the framework could adjust in response to changing economic realities in China, centered on the 'rebalancing' of the growth model toward domestic consumption. We argue that a new wave of private sector-led, low-cost manufacturers may find its way to selected African shores, in the process transforming those economies and the way in which China interacts with them, both for the better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2014
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
9. Location choice determinants of Chinese and US firms in Africa: Does spatial interdependence play a role?
- Author
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Lemi, Adugna, Liu, Liyan, and Wright, Ian A.
- Subjects
DECISION making in investments ,FOREIGN investments ,SERVICE industries ,MARKET potential - Abstract
In an increasingly integrated global market, the nature and extent of spatial interdependence is one key factor influencing firms' location decisions. Spatial interdependence often manifests itself in the form of agglomeration or congestion effects, not just within a country but also in a region. Using Chinese and US overseas investment data, this study presents empirical evidence on the role that neighbouring countries (third‐country effects) play in attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to a host country. The study's findings show that there is evidence of spatial interdependence both for Chinese and USA FDI flows to African countries. For both countries, the third country effects come through either explanatory variables (including market size, domestic credit, trade costs and the share of service sector), error term or the amount of FDI in neighbouring countries. The findings also show that there is more robust evidence that, unlike Chinese FDI, the US FDI takes into account the market potentials of not just a host country but also that of a neighbouring country in making investment location decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
10. Introduction to the Special Issue: Strategic Deployment of the China Model in Africa.
- Author
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Hodzi, Obert and Åberg, John H. S.
- Subjects
DEVELOPING countries ,CONDITIONALITY (International relations) ,POLITICAL elites - Abstract
Copyright of Politics & Policy is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
11. China's Development Model: Can it be Replicated in Sub‐Saharan Africa?
- Author
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Babones, Salvatore
- Subjects
NEOLIBERALISM ,ECONOMIC expansion ,POLITICAL elites ,GROSS domestic product ,CAPITALISM - Abstract
Copyright of Politics & Policy is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
12. China—The Champion of the Developing World: A Study of China's new Development Model and its Role in Changing Global Economic Governance.
- Author
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Duggan, Niall
- Subjects
ECONOMIC change ,INTERNATIONAL competition ,CHINA studies ,ROLE theory ,ECONOMIC opportunities - Abstract
Copyright of Politics & Policy is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
13. Modeling the Impact of a Model: The (Non)Relationship between China's Economic Rise and African Democracy.
- Author
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Davidsson, Simon
- Subjects
CHINESE people ,POLITICAL economic analysis ,EMPLOYEE ownership ,DEMOCRACY ,POLITICAL change ,ECONOMIC change - Abstract
Copyright of Politics & Policy is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
14. 'Going Out' or Staying In? The Expansion of Chinese NGOs in Africa.
- Author
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Hsu, Jennifer Y.J., Hildebrandt, Timothy, and Hasmath, Reza
- Subjects
NONGOVERNMENTAL organizations ,INTERNATIONAL agencies ,NONPROFIT organizations ,INTERNATIONAL relations - Abstract
This article examines the overseas behaviour of Chinese non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in two African nations, Ethiopia and Malawi, with varying political regime types. Our findings suggest that, irrespective of regime type, Chinese NGOs have yet to make a substantial impact in either nation. We argue that, despite the strength of the Chinese state and high levels of international development assistance given, domestic politics and regulatory frameworks in host nations still matter a great deal. Our study suggests that the Chinese model of international development will continue to be one in which temporary one-off projects are favoured; and, insofar as social organisations will play a role, they will be in the domain of government-organised NGOs rather than grassroots NGOs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
15. The Revival of Non-Traditional State Actors' Interests in Africa: Does it Matter for Policy Autonomy?
- Author
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Kragelund, Peter
- Subjects
INTERNATIONAL economic relations ,PRICES ,ECONOMIC development ,ECONOMIC conditions in Africa, 1960- ,ECONOMIC policy - Abstract
Africa's external relations are currently undergoing major changes. Non-traditional state actors like China and India are reviving their ties with African economies and thereby affecting power relations between African states and traditional partners. Meanwhile, high commodity prices and improved credit ratings make external finance available for African governments. This article examines how non-traditional state actors affect the possibility of African governments setting and funding their own development priorities. It argues that while the current situation may increase the policy autonomy for African economies this is largely a consequence of the increased availability of external finance - and not just from non-traditional state actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2012
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
16. If the Hat Fits: Revisiting Chinese 'Neo-Imperialism' in Africa From a Comparative Historical Perspective.
- Author
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Hadland, Adrian
- Subjects
IMPERIALISM ,HISTORICAL analysis ,INTERNATIONAL relations ,COMPARATIVE studies - Abstract
The debate on whether China's relationship with Africa can be characterized as 'neo-imperialist' has focused primarily on the features of the contemporary engagement. This has polarized the field. The debate has not yet made systematic reference to the mechanisms of imperialism through which the original 'scramble for Africa' was carried out by colonial powers at the turn of the 20th century. This article carries out this historical comparison, contrasting the imperial partition of Africa around 1880-1914 with current Sino- African relations. It is evident that there are many similarities, from the multiple agendas of the actors and the role of compradors through to patterns of investment and financing. The article raises questions, however, concerning the utility of the concept of 'neo-imperialism' given its implicit negativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2012
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
17. Contact and identity: The experience of ‘China goods’ in a Ghanaian marketplace.
- Author
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Jing Jing Liu
- Subjects
GROUP identity ,RETAIL industry ,IMPORTS - Abstract
The rise in Chinese traders and increased availability of low-cost imported goods benefits consumers, challenges local African retailers and is a point of tension in local communities. China's presence in Africa has been largely discussed and analysed through a political economy perspective. The social impact in local communities has been documented anecdotally but has yet to be empirically studied. This study took place in Makola Market, Accra, Ghana, to investigate the emerging intergroup encounters between established Ghanaian traders and nascent Chinese traders. Photo-elicited semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore how their interrelated experiences shape their interpretative framework and inform the dialectic of contact and social identity. I draw on these interpretative frameworks to propose a new model of contact, the Tri-relational Contact Model, to capture and highlight how people's experiences include contact relationships with not just each other, but also with their places of business and the goods of trade. The findings from this study empirically highlight the micro-level impact of China's presence in Ghana and help re-conceptualize the contact hypothesis through a new model of contact with greater analytical utility to explicate the relational nature of contact and social identity formation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2010
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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