China’s Belt and Road Initiative: Is it Succeeding to Win the Hearts and Minds of the Global South

Project Summary:

China’s “One Belt One Road” (BRI) initiative, introduced by Xi Jinping in 2013, is a recent invention by China to expand its influence around the world, particularly with countries in the “Global South”. China has spent and lent billions to expand infrastructure projects through loans to participating countries around the world with approximately 149 nations joining the BRI. Chinese authorities and media are declaring the Belt and Road initiative a success, while western media, think tanks and pundits often report that the initiative is failing in BRI participating countries.
This Research Design Studio project seeks to conduct interviews and analyze media reports and data to uncover the truth behind China’s Belt and Road initiative. Is BRI benefiting governments, societies, and people around the world? Or, is BRI having outsized influence on societies creating economic instability, corruption and political divisiveness in countries that participate?

Deliverables:

Students will first work together to develop a design approach for the research. This may include developing a questionnaire and an interview guide to conduct in-person or Zoom interviews. The students will also identify primary and secondary sources to investigate and interrogate data in the public and private domain. Students will work to develop criteria for assessing the BRI’s success or failure. This may become a framework assessment of BRI projects in the future. A final paper/report will be written by the students providing an overview of the current situation, an assessment of BRI’s effectiveness within participating countries as well as findings, conclusions, and recommendations.

Preferred discipline(s):

Academia, Big Data Analytics, Consulting, Economics, Journalism, Government and Policy Studies, Social Enterprises and Social Media.

Project Essential Skills:

Students interested in framing big problems, asking insightful questions and shaping the project with creative approaches are invited to apply and will be considered.

Other Selection Criteria (if any):

N/A

Details of supervision arrangements:

Students are required to meet their project supervisors at least three times for progress update. The progress meetings are expected to conduct in person. For projects that are supervised by University of Chicago, the supervisors are either based in Hong Kong campus of University of Chicago or are planning to visit HK during the period of the research projects.