Books by Sanne van der Lugt
Global Perspectives on China’s Belt and Road Initiative: Asserting Agency through Regional Connectivity, 2021
This chapter analyses various causal relations through which Ethiopian and Chinese actors interac... more This chapter analyses various causal relations through which Ethiopian and Chinese actors interact in the context of the Digital Silk Road initiative. What is playing out in Africa is part of a larger contest between the West and China for dominance over technology and global influence. From a Chinese perspective, the Digital Silk Road is an attempt to narrow the gap between underdeveloped and developed countries through capacity building. From a Western perspective (Freedom House, Human Rights Watch, etc.), Chinese investments in the Digital Silk Road provide unethical support to authoritarian leaders. The chapter moves beyond this simple dichotomy of good and bad Chinese investments in the digitalization of Africa, instead identifying the actors involved and investigating their motives and levels of influence.
Both the physical presence of Chinese actors in Africa and the rise of China as a global power in... more Both the physical presence of Chinese actors in Africa and the rise of China as a global power in the international system are influencing the international position and relations of African nation states. This chapter discusses briefly the understanding of African statehood, the recent developments in the change of power distribution in the world order, and how the general perspectives of the EU, China and Africa on the recent development towards a multi-polar world order influence the political space for African positions. By using Cox’s framework on social forces, forms of states and world order, it argues that China’s new position in the world order and the Chinese involvement in the continent influences the power that African nation states have to exercise sovereignty. The conclusion is that current changes in the world order are about to change the social forces. However, in order to reap the benefits and make use of this window of opportunity, African state leaders need to change their idea of what makes their power legitimate. They need to depend less on strong external actors and more on their own peoples.
Papers by Sanne van der Lugt
Clingendael Spectator, 2020
An inconvenient truth often ignored or denied is that Chinese economic activities on the African ... more An inconvenient truth often ignored or denied is that Chinese economic activities on the African continent are not worse than (and often not even as bad as) US or European activities in Africa. Clingendael Research Associate Sanne van der Lugt presents six persistent myths about China-Africa relations based on her own research experiences.
Academic …, 2011
Popular claims link the inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) almost automatically to economi... more Popular claims link the inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) almost automatically to economic development. This notion increased in prominence with the rise of neo-liberal thinking in the 1980s. It was also fuelled by the success of the so-called Asian Tigers ...
Africa Negotiating an Emerging Multipolar World, 2011
Abstract Both the physical presence of Chinese actors in Africa and the rise of China as a global... more Abstract Both the physical presence of Chinese actors in Africa and the rise of China as a global power in the international system are influencing the international position and relations of African nation states. This chapter discusses briefly the understanding of ...
Studies on China-Africa relations often criticize Chinese firms for vio-
lating human rights and ... more Studies on China-Africa relations often criticize Chinese firms for vio-
lating human rights and neglecting their responsibility to protect the envi-
ronment. Some authors
have even accused “the Chinese” of neo-
colonialism. More recent studies emphasize the responsibility of the host
governments to protect the environment and the rights of local workers.
What, however, can African host country governments actually do to real-
ize the potentials of Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) while manag-
ing the environmental and social impacts? The main argument of this
Article is that thorough knowledge regarding the motives of foreign inves-
tors gives host countries better insight into their capacity to strengthen
their FDI regulation. Current FDI theory does not sufficiently explain the
motives behind Chinese outward direct investment (ODI) and focuses too
much on the factors associated with the host country (pull factors) and the
foreign firm. More recent attempts to explain the motives behind Chinese
and other emerging market ODI focus merely on the factors associated
with the home country (push factors). This Article introduces a framework
from the field of migration studies in an attempt to integrate push, pull,
intervening, and firm-specific factors into one comprehensive framework.
The case of the investments of a specific Chinese construction company in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is used to develop further the
idea of a comprehensive framework that includes push, pull, intervening, and firm-specific factors
By submitting this thesis electronically, I declare that the entirety of the work contained there... more By submitting this thesis electronically, I declare that the entirety of the work contained therein is my own, original work, that I am the sole author thereof (save to the extent explicitly otherwise stated), that reproduction and publication thereof by Stellenbosch University will not infringe any third party rights and that I have not previously in its entirety or in part submitted it for obtaining any qualification.
Uploads
Books by Sanne van der Lugt
Papers by Sanne van der Lugt
lating human rights and neglecting their responsibility to protect the envi-
ronment. Some authors
have even accused “the Chinese” of neo-
colonialism. More recent studies emphasize the responsibility of the host
governments to protect the environment and the rights of local workers.
What, however, can African host country governments actually do to real-
ize the potentials of Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) while manag-
ing the environmental and social impacts? The main argument of this
Article is that thorough knowledge regarding the motives of foreign inves-
tors gives host countries better insight into their capacity to strengthen
their FDI regulation. Current FDI theory does not sufficiently explain the
motives behind Chinese outward direct investment (ODI) and focuses too
much on the factors associated with the host country (pull factors) and the
foreign firm. More recent attempts to explain the motives behind Chinese
and other emerging market ODI focus merely on the factors associated
with the home country (push factors). This Article introduces a framework
from the field of migration studies in an attempt to integrate push, pull,
intervening, and firm-specific factors into one comprehensive framework.
The case of the investments of a specific Chinese construction company in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is used to develop further the
idea of a comprehensive framework that includes push, pull, intervening, and firm-specific factors
lating human rights and neglecting their responsibility to protect the envi-
ronment. Some authors
have even accused “the Chinese” of neo-
colonialism. More recent studies emphasize the responsibility of the host
governments to protect the environment and the rights of local workers.
What, however, can African host country governments actually do to real-
ize the potentials of Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) while manag-
ing the environmental and social impacts? The main argument of this
Article is that thorough knowledge regarding the motives of foreign inves-
tors gives host countries better insight into their capacity to strengthen
their FDI regulation. Current FDI theory does not sufficiently explain the
motives behind Chinese outward direct investment (ODI) and focuses too
much on the factors associated with the host country (pull factors) and the
foreign firm. More recent attempts to explain the motives behind Chinese
and other emerging market ODI focus merely on the factors associated
with the home country (push factors). This Article introduces a framework
from the field of migration studies in an attempt to integrate push, pull,
intervening, and firm-specific factors into one comprehensive framework.
The case of the investments of a specific Chinese construction company in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is used to develop further the
idea of a comprehensive framework that includes push, pull, intervening, and firm-specific factors