Erik and Keren are joined by Dr. Keyi Tang, author of Power Over Progress, to examine one of the most consequential but often overlooked questions in development finance: who determines where externally funded projects are built?

Drawing on geocoded data connecting subnational elections and development projects across 48 African countries, 175 elite interviews, and fieldwork in Ethiopia, Ghana, and Zambia, Dr. Tang compares Chinese, World Bank, and OECD-supported development finance. The conversation moves beyond a simple China-versus-West framing to examine the domestic political structures that influence project selection, including ruling-party organization, electoral competition, local coalitions, and the political geography of strongholds and swing regions.

They discuss why roads and other public goods may be directed toward politically valuable communities rather than the places with the greatest need; how Chinese and OECD accountability systems differ; and why external financiers cannot fully escape the incentives of the governments and institutions that select, authorize, and implement projects on the ground.

Dr. Keyi Tang is assistant professor in the Department of Society, Politics and Sustainability at ESADE Business School. Her research focuses on the comparative and international political economy of development. She examines topics such as China's global economic strategy, structural transformation in the Global South, and the institutional factors contributing to resource misallocation. She has conducted extensive fieldwork in China, Ethiopia, Ghana, Zambia, and Vietnam. She is the author of Power Over Progress: How Politics Shape Development Finance in Africa (2026).

Recommendations:

Keyi:

• The Pitt series on HBO

Keren:

• Invitation to a Banquet by Fuchsia Dunlop

Erik:

• Sheep Detectives on Prime
• Happiness (1998 film)

Thanks for listening!

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