The concept of Sustainable Development is increasingly used in development policies. Still, it remains questionable whether sustainable development is feasible in reality. Since a few years, China...Show moreThe concept of Sustainable Development is increasingly used in development policies. Still, it remains questionable whether sustainable development is feasible in reality. Since a few years, China aims to be leading in sustainable development. Their Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) could secure that leading role at a global scale. Nonetheless, many scholars argue that this project is far from sustainable. Others refute this criticism and state that the BRI has the most potential for sustainable development. This thesis aims to investigate this debate by answering the following question: To what extent is ecologically sustainable development implemented within the Chinese BRI Railroad projects in Sub-Saharan African Countries? A qualitative data analysis (small-N) will answer this question. The conditions of sustainable development will be compared to practice by studying three railroad projects. This thesis will view sustainable development through an ecological lens with a focus on Strong Sustainability. This thesis analyses how the projects relate to the criteria of Strong Sustainability: protecting and promoting biodiversity, sustainable water management and carbon emission reductions. The results show that the SGR projects do attribute to the Sustainable Development Goals. Still, they could have done more to make the project genuinely sustainable; a lot of environmental concerns remain unaddressed within the projects. Therefore, these projects cannot be labelled as ecologically sustainable under the criteria of Strong Sustainability.Show less
Many scholars today are occupied with China’s engagements with Africa, as China is slowly changing the rules of development. One of the largest nations it is interacting with today is Kenya, and...Show moreMany scholars today are occupied with China’s engagements with Africa, as China is slowly changing the rules of development. One of the largest nations it is interacting with today is Kenya, and this thesis will apply three theories in international relations to the case of economic development under Chinese investments in Kenya: the theories of Wallerstein, Alden and Nurkse which elaborate on global, regional, and national engagement with developing economies respectively. The main objective of this thesis is to identify and illustrate the effects of China’s financial support and investments in Kenya’s economy. China’s rhetoric of mutually beneficial cooperation reflects, at least theoretically, its benevolence and underlying focus on development. China’s underlying economic and diplomatic motivations will be discussed, followed by expounding on the presence of Chinese businesses in Kenya, the Chinese One Belt, One Road initiative, and Kenya’s Vision 2030. The Kenyan government should be careful to keep the economic growth in its own hands by not relying too much on Chinese credit loans and investments, but focus at generating its own capital.Show less
