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SAIS China Africa Research Initiative (SAIS CARI)

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Abbreviation
  
CARI

Director
  
Deborah Bräutigam

Location
  
Washington, D.C.

SAIS China Africa Research Initiative (SAIS-CARI)

Motto
  
Evidence. Analysis. Collaboration.

Formation
  
2014; 3 years ago (2014)

Headquarters
  
1717 Massachusetts Ave NW, Suite 723

The China Africa Research Initiative (CARI) at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) is a research program dedicated to understanding the political and economic aspects of China-Africa relations. Launched in 2014, it is based at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C.

Contents

SAIS-CARI is focused on producing and promoting high quality, well-researched, and data-backed analysis of the relationship between China and African countries. It also specializes in conducting evidence-based analysis, fostering collaboration, and training future leaders to understand the economic and political dimensions of China-Africa relations and their implications for human security and global development.

The Initiative is directed by Deborah Bräutigam, Ph.D., SAIS Professor of Comparative Politics and Director of the International Development Program (IDEV). She is the author of Will Africa Feed China? (2015), The Dragon's Gift: The Real Story of China in Africa (2009), and the blog "China in Africa: The Real Story." Both of Bräutigam's books use extensive fieldwork and on-the-ground evidence to challenge conventional wisdom on China’s relationship with African countries.

Research

SAIS-CARI’s research areas include Chinese agricultural investments in Africa, Chinese hydropower finance in Africa, the flying geese model in African industries, Chinese loans to Africa, and Chinese FDI and structural transformation in Africa. The research is grounded in both quantitative data collection and analysis as well as qualitative field research. As a result, SAIS-CARI has created several rigorously cross-checked databases on various aspects of Chinese activity in Africa. Of note, in April 2016, the Initiative launched its exclusive database of Chinese loans to African countries. The findings of this database have been featured in The Economist, The Guardian, and African Arguments, among other media outlets.

Staff

  • Deborah Bräutigam, Director
  • Janet Eom, Research Manager
  • Jyhjong Hwang, Senior Research Assistant
  • Ying Xia, Predoctoral Research Fellow
  • 2014 Conference

    SAIS-CARI hosted its first annual conference, titled "China’s Agricultural Investment in Africa: 'Land Grabs' or 'Friendship Farms'?", on May 16, 2014.

    2015 Conference

    SAIS-CARI hosted its second annual conference, "Researching China’s Overseas Finance and Aid: What, Why, How, Where and How Much?", on April 10, 2015.

    2016 Conference

    SAIS-CARI hosted its fourth annual conference, "Orient Express: Chinese Infrastructure Engagement in Africa", on October 13–14, 2016. Researchers and practitioners from the International Institute for Environment and Development, McKinsey & Company, AVIC International, and more shared their insights. The conference focused on several aspects of Chinese infrastructure in Africa.

    SAIS-CARI in the media (Selected)

    SAIS-CARI research has been featured in The Economist, Bloomberg, the Washington Post, and more.

  • Zones of Influence: China's Economic Model in Africa, The Economist Intelligence Unit
  • Chinese firms buy, lease far less African farmland than thought - Book, Reuters (2015)
  • What do we know about the Chinese land grab in Africa?, The Brookings Institution (2015)
  • Not as easy as it looks, The Economist (2015)
  • China Faces Same Problems in Africa as the West, "Asia Times" (2015)
  • Will Africa Feed China? Review, Financial Times (2015)
  • Chinese Loans to Africa: Credit Limit, The Economist (2016)
  • Why the Chinese Are Not on a Land-Buying Spree in Africa, "Huffington Post" (2016)
  • Venezuela Mess Prods China to Reassess Africa Lending Spree, Bloomberg (2016)
  • Africa, begging with a golden bowl, The Herald (2016)
  • Donald Trump’s team has questions about China in Africa. Here are answers., The Washington Post (2017)
  • Policy Briefs and Working Papers

    SAIS-CARI publishes policy briefs and working papers on a range of topics concerning the growing relationship between China and Africa. The publications can be found on the Initiative's website.

    Policy Briefs

  • Policy Brief 01/2014: The Political Ecology of Chinese Investment in Uganda: the Case of Hanhe Farm
  • Policy Brief 02/2014: Chinese Agricultural Investment in Mozambique: the Case of Wanbao Rice Farm
  • Policy Brief 03/2014: Chinese Training Courses for African Officials: a “Win-Win” Engagement?
  • Policy Brief 04/2015: Chinese Agricultural Engagement in Zambia: A Grassroots Analysis
  • Policy Brief 05/2015: Chinese Agricultural Entrepreneurship in Africa: Case Studies in Ghana and Nigeria
  • Policy Brief 06/2015: Assessing the Impact of Chinese Investment on Southeast Africa’s Cotton: Moving up the Value Chain?
  • Policy Brief 07/2015: Neither ‘Land Grab’ nor ‘Friendship Farm’: Chinese Agricultural Engagement in Angola
  • Policy Brief 08/2015: Chinese Financed Hydropower Projects in Sub-Saharian Africa
  • Policy Brief 09/2016: Looking Back and Moving Forward: An Analysis of China-Africa Economic Trends and the Outcomes of the 2015 Forum on China Africa Cooperation
  • Policy Brief 10/2016: What Happened to China Development Bank’s $3 Billion Loan to Ghana?
  • Policy Brief 11/2016: How Chinese Money is Transforming Africa: It's Not What You Think
  • Policy Brief 12/2016: Media Training for Africa: Is China Exporting its Journalism?
  • Policy Brief 13/2016: Technology Transfer in Telecommunications: Barriers and Opportunities in the Case of Huawei and ZTE in South Africa
  • Policy Brief 14/2016: Do Huawei's Training Programs and Centers Transfer Skills to Africa?
  • Policy Brief 15/2016: Provincial Chinese Actors in Africa: The Case of Sichuan in Uganda
  • Policy Brief 16/2016: Local Politics Meets Chinese Engineers: A Study of the Chinese-Built Standard Gauge Railway Project in Kenya
  • Working Papers

  • Working Paper 01/December 2015: Chinese Engagement in Hydropower Infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Working Paper 02/January 2016: Learning from China? Manufacturing Investment and Technology Transfer in Nigeria
  • Working Paper 03/February 2016: How do Chinese Contractors Perform in Africa? Evidence from World Bank Projects
  • Working Paper 04/April 2016: Eastern Promises: New Data on Chinese Loans in Africa, 2000 to 2014
  • Working Paper 05/July 2016: Where Africa Meets Asia: Chinese Agricultural and Manufacturing Investment in Madagascar
  • Working Paper 06/September 2016: Capturing the Rains: A Comparative Study of Chinese Involvement in Cameroon's Hydropower Sector
  • Working Paper 07/November 2016: A Comparative Analysis: The Sustainable Development Impact of Two Wind Farms in Ethiopia
  • Current funding

    SAIS-CARI currently receives support from Carnegie Corporation of New York to develop a database to track Chinese finance and investments in Africa; construct and maintain the CARI website; publish newsletters, working papers, and policy briefs; host conferences, roundtables, and workshops; and fund the CARI fellowship program for scholars, journalists, researchers and practitioners. SAIS-CARI also receives support through a grant from the UK's Department for International Development and the Economic and Social Research Council (DFID/ESRC) which supports "evidence-based analysis of technology transfer, linkages, learning, and spillovers associated with Chinese investment in African manufacturing, agribusiness, and construction industries."

    Previous funding

  • Smith Richardson Foundation
  • Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) and Department for International Development (DFID), Private Enterprise Development in Low-Income Countries (PEDL).
  • References

    SAIS China Africa Research Initiative (SAIS-CARI) Wikipedia