Pan-Area Study of BRI

 led by Harry Harding, (Batten School and Politics)

Group members:

Kerem Coşar (Economics); John Echeverri-Gent (Politics); Robert Fatton, Jr. (Politics); Shirley Lin (Politics); Allen Lynch (Politics); Shawn Lyons (MESALC); Philip Potter (Batten School and Politics);Muhammad Tayyab SafdaR(Politics & East Asia Centre); Yingyao Wang (Sociology); Brantly Womack (Politics) 

 A number of topics that this group has identified and plan to investigate include: i) Large infrastructure projects in historical and comparative perspective: why were they undertaken, and what economic and political value did they have? ii) The financing of infrastructure: What have been the most appropriate financing arrangements for infrastructure projects? What role, if any, does the private sector have, relative to governments and international financial institutions? iii) Sponsorship of BRI projects: to what extent are China’s domestic bureaucratic politics at play? Which projects have been undertaken for geopolitical reasons? Have proposed BRI projects been designed by Chinese agencies or by organizations in the host countries? iv) An evaluation of BRI projects: Have some been more cost-effective than others? If so, why? How rigorous has been the project evaluation undertaken by either China or the host governments? v) The response of other countries: How are other countries, including both countries that are recipients of BRI investment and other major powers, including the U.S., Russia, Japan, India, and the EU, responding to the BRI? Are they cooperating, criticizing, or competing? Planned activities include seminars, lectures, and collaborations with institutions abroad.