Dependency Theory – A Conceptual Lens to Understand China’s Presence in Africa?

Abstract

This conceptual article explores the evolution of dependency theory and deploys the theory to understand China´s contemporary presence in Africa as a case study to provide new insights about the usability of this theory and its fundamental concepts. To this end, this article provides commentary to dependency theory and develops further its theoretical foundations from the viewpoint of this case example. In an attempt to understand and explain the phenomenon of contemporary Sino-African engagement, we explore dependency theory in order to unpack the complexity inherent in China's contemporary presence in Africa and ask whether this ´system-level´ relationship is likely to end in a similar fashion as espoused by dependency theorists in their analysis of North-South relationship. This paper concludes that straightforward deployment of dependency theory does not suffice in the light of contemporary Sino-African engagement. We opine that China-Africa relationship suggests a case of growing interdependency. We conclude that beyond the economic partnership, cooperation and solidarity, China's presence in Africa presents Africa a challenge to question the status quo, reorient their values, and to adopt an inward focus on their developmental needs and priorities.

Towards a Framework for Understanding the Outcomes of Economic Engagements with Africa: A Human Capital Development Perspective

“…Dependency theory is one such theory that can help unpack the complexity inherent in South-South cooperation (SSC) typified by Sino-African cooperation (Agbebi and Virtanen 2017). It is important to point out that, the popularity of dependency theory has waned, and reliance on its applicability to developing countries has been questioned, in part due to the emergence of the developmental state in the 1960s and subsequent development of East Asian countries.…”

The effects of natural resources on human capital accumulation: A literature survey

“…Leaders of the United States and United Kingdom eyed the oil reserves of the Middle East, and in 1944 contemplated dividing control of the region between them in an Anglo‐American Petroleum Agreement 3 . Similarly, there is recent evidence of resource‐motivated Chinese dominance in Afro‐Asian countries (Agbebi & Virtanen, 2017; Kalu, 2012).…”

Revisiting The Dynamics Of Gender-Based Development: An Approach to Development Studies

“…They only look at women in terms of the output produced, without considering the social aspects and women's involvement in the domestic sphere, which has a dual role in the social life of the community. In the end, this stigma contributed to limiting the role of women in economic livelihoods, the level of women's work participation became increasingly limited, which in turn sparked the birth of a new poverty rate (Bieler and Morton, 2003;Colley, 2002;Filc and Ram, 2014;Greenhill and Wilson, 2006;Hargreaves, 1982;Rose, 2013;Agbebi and Virtanen, 2017;Berglof, 2015;Eke Jeffry, 2013;Gala et al, 2018;Isa and Edward, 2017;Mallorquin, 2017;Mason, 2017;Ormaechea, 2020;Purcell et al, 2017;Samanta, 2018). This chaotic cross of different views tried to be mediated by institutional economists such as Veblen.…”