Who wins, who loses? Understanding the spatially differentiated effects of the belt and road initiative

Abstract

The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent.

Connective Financing - Chinese Infrastructure Projects and the Diffusion of Economic Activity in Developing Countries

“…For example, in their study of the expansion of China's highway system, find that reductions in spatial inequality were larger within coastal and richer central regions. Similarly, although they do not focus on decentralization within regions per se, studies focusing on modelling the spatial impact of the Belt and Road Initiative typically estimate that it will benefit coastal regions, border crossings and urban hubs more (Lall and Lebrand 2020). 46 As a final test, we investigate major world regions separately.…”

“…The short-and long-run consequences of China's infrastructure financing activities-including the US$1 trillion Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)-are the subject of considerable debate in the media and within policy circles. A growing number of articles in economics focus on the expected impact of the BRI in different regions (e.g., Perlez and Huang 2017, Bandiera and Tsiropoulos 2020, Bird et al 2020, de Soyres et al 2020, Lall and Lebrand 2020. 5 Beijing's critics claim that it finances poorly-designed and hastily-executed projects that provide few economic benefits, while Western donors and lenders have learned through decades of experience to design and implement infrastructure projects in more careful and sustainable ways.…”

Research on the Approaches to Construct "Belt and Road" in Colleges and Universities

“…By the end of August 2019, China had signed 195"B&R "cooperation documents with 136 countries and 30 international organizations road circle of friends throughout Asia, Africa, Europe, Oceania and Latin America. The findings are that "B&R" transport investments favor development in larger urban districts near trade hubs [2].…”

Contemporary Chinese Strategy In East And Southeast Asia: Beijing’s Discourse And Development Finance Since The 2000s

“…As far as port of Karachi is a strategic point connecting the land-based BRI and Maritime Silk Road, the China-Pakistan economic corridor implies enhancement of the network and amenities around the port, which attracts investments (Bhattacharjee, 2015). Similarly, although Kazakhstan possesses the most developed infrastructure, compared to other Central Asian countries, it received the largest share of aid oriented toward transportation, technologies, public sector (Lall and Lebrand, 2020). The recent China-Kazakhstan friendship agreement might be considered an example of successful diplomatic relations and communication between the elites.…”