China and the Hidden Politics of Global Aid

File image of Egyptian and Chinese construction workers on site at the ongoing works at the "business and finance district" of Egypt's "New Administrative Capital" megaproject, some 45km east of Cairo. Khaled DESOUKI / AFP

The development finance industry would like us to believe that money for infrastructure, education, and other needs goes to where it’s needed most. The reality, though, isn’t that simple. Politics, it turns out, plays a much more important role than many would like to admit.

Keyi Tang, an assistant professor at ESADE Business School in Spain, studied development finance data on 48 African countries over a 20-year period that revealed that money often flows to those who hold influence rather than to those who need it most.

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by Eric Olander

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