China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) launched by Chinese leader Xi Jinping in late 2013 has been the most studied Chinese policy in recent years and has been portrayed variously by different observers worldwide, as China’s great-power strategy, global infrastructure initiative or commercial projects. But how can one initiative be shown to have such varied […]
By James Sundquist The “Rise of China” is one of the great stories of this century. But how is this story told? Is the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) about South-South cooperation or debt-trap diplomacy? How much attention should be paid to China’s economic miracle and how much to its human rights violations? A new […]
The Chinese government cares deeply about its international image, with Chinese leader Xi Jinping calling for his government to charm the world by telling Chinese stories well. While existing research has studied Chinese efforts to earn status from foreign governments and direct public diplomacy toward foreign publics, it has largely overlooked the country’s preoccupation with […]
By Amanda Brown As many multilateral development banks (MDBs) seek to align their financing with the Paris climate agreement and move away from fossil fuels, there is a question of whether China’s policy banks would move to fill a gap in fossil fuel financing left by MDBs, as they had with coal. This concern is […]
By Jonathan Greenacre The world’s farming sector is struggling to feed the world which, without major technological and organization innovations, will lead to an upcoming global food shortage. Food production must grow by nearly 60 percent to feed the world’s population by 2050. Africa’s inefficient farming techniques and the poverty of its farmers are a […]
By Emanne Khan Quotas that reserve a certain portion of seats in government for disadvantaged groups are widely utilized across the globe. Over half of all countries—135, according to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance—have targeted women for such programs, including China, Australia, South Africa and much of the European Union. Gender quotas […]
Previous research by Rachel Brulé has demonstrated the powerful effects quotas for women in government can have on women’s property rights and economic standing. Women who assume elected office through quota systems can support their female constituents by advocating for gender equality in land reform and inheritance. Conversely, Brulé and colleagues have identified significant backlash […]
By Oyintarelado (Tarela) Moses On July 6, 2022, the World Resources Institute (WRI) released an updated version of the China Overseas Finance Inventory (COFI) Database, which tracks Chinese-financed power generation projects in Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries. The COFI Database draws from the Boston University Global Development Policy (GDP) Center’s suite of five interactive […]
Economic cooperation between Indonesia and China has intensified over the last decade through the emergence of a shared vision for economic prosperity. Inbound investment from China (including Hong Kong) to Indonesia has grown dramatically in recent years, particularly after the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was launched. Chinese investment in Indonesia is unique from other […]
By Rebecca Ray As one of the world’s richest homes for biodiversity and one of the top recipients of Chinese finance and investment, Indonesia is in a crucial position for managing the economic, social and environmental benefits and risks of participating in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In a new working paper, researchers from […]