Duality by Design: The Global Race to Build Africa's Infrastructure

Africa's rapid population growth and urbanization have made its socioeconomic development a global priority, but China's assistance in bridging Africa's infrastructure gap has led to warnings of a debt trap. This new theoretical framework proposes a better understanding of the differing approaches to development espoused by traditional agencies and emergent Chinese agencies, moving the debate away from the search for a superior form of organizing and towards complementarities in competing forms of organizing for development.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 442 pages
Publication date: 24 March 2022
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Africa's rapid population growth and urbanization have placed its socioeconomic development at the forefront of global attention. However, concerns have arisen regarding China's increasing assistance in bridging Africa's infrastructure gap, potentially leading to a debt trap. Building upon extensive evidence, the editors argue that developing institutions and infrastructure are two equally desirable but organizationally incompatible objectives. In conceptualizing this duality by design, a new theoretical framework proposes a better understanding of the differing approaches to development adopted by traditional agencies like the World Bank and emergent Chinese agencies. This novel framing shifts the debate away from the futile pursuit of a superior form of organizing and instead encourages seeking complementarities in competing forms of organizing for development. This research is of significant interest to students and scholars in international business, strategic and public management, complex systems, as well as practitioners in international development and business in emerging markets.

Africa's rapid population growth and urbanization have placed its socioeconomic development at the forefront of global attention. However, concerns have arisen regarding China's increasing assistance in bridging Africa's infrastructure gap, potentially leading to a debt trap. Building upon extensive evidence, the editors argue that developing institutions and infrastructure are two equally desirable but organizationally incompatible objectives. In conceptualizing this duality by design, a new theoretical framework proposes a better understanding of the differing approaches to development adopted by traditional agencies like the World Bank and emergent Chinese agencies. This novel framing shifts the debate away from the futile pursuit of a superior form of organizing and instead encourages seeking complementarities in competing forms of organizing for development. This research is of significant interest to students and scholars in international business, strategic and public management, complex systems, as well as practitioners in international development and business in emerging markets.

Weight: 591g
ISBN-13: 9781108461030
Edition number: New ed