How does Chinese overseas development finance compare with World Bank and OECD bilateral finance once money reaches the ground?

Join author Keyi Tang, Assistant Professor at the Department of Society, Politics and Sustainability at Esade, in conversation with Yeling Tan, Professor of Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, to discuss her new book Power Over Progress: How Politics Shape Development Finance in Africa.

Drawing on her new book, Power Over Progress: How Politics Shape Development Finance in Africa, Keyi Tang analyses geocoded projects financed by China, the World Bank, and OECD bilateral donors across forty-eight African countries (2000–2021), linking them to original subnational election data for 519 regions and 175 interviews in Washington, Beijing, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Zambia.Tang also hand-collected administrative-level data on all foreign-financed roads in Ethiopia, Ghana, and Zambia from ministries of finance and infrastructure over the past two decades, tracking precisely where projects are implemented.

The central finding is that where development finance lands—regardless of the financier—often reflects political survival strategies rather than development need. The talk uses this evidence to reframe debates about “China versus the West,” showing how electoral incentives in recipient countries shape allocation outcomes and what this implies for policy discussions on transparency, accountability, and the future of development cooperation.

Please note that this event takes place in person only.

Keyi Tang is an Assistant Professor at ESADE Business School in Barcelona. Her research sits at the intersection of international and comparative political economy of development, with a regional focus on Africa and China. Part of her book manuscript, Power Over Progress, won the 2024 Best Graduate Student Paper Award from the International Political Economy Section of the International Studies Association. Her scholarly work has appeared in journals including Review of International Political Economy, Energy Economics, and Energy Policy, and her commentary has been featured in outlets such as The China-Global South Project and the South China Morning Post.