Announcements

Chinese and African Perspectives on China in Africa

Call for Proposals

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/Announce/51039

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The Chinese and African Perspectives on China in Africa is a research project initiated by FAHAMU, the network for social justice issues, with funding from OXFAM Novib and OSI. China’s engagement in Africa has expanded and intensified in recent years. But much of the current debates and research has been informed by a Northern perspective. Fahamu’s China in Africa programme therefore seeks to develop an African perspective by strengthening the civil society voice in the emerging Africa-China discourse.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

FAHAMU
Collaborative Research Project on Chinese and African Perspectives on China in Africa

Terms of Reference for In-Depth Thematic Areas


Introduction

The Chinese and African Perspectives on China in Africa is a research project initiated by FAHAMU, the network for social justice issues, with funding from OXFAM Novib and OSI. China’s engagement in Africa has expanded and intensified in recent years. But much of the current debates and research has been informed by a Northern perspective. Fahamu’s China in Africa programme therefore seeks to develop an African perspective by strengthening the civil society voice in the emerging Africa-China discourse. It aims to achieve this by:

Enabling research to be undertaken on the political, social, economic and cultural effects of China's engagement with Africa,
Developing informed discussion and advocacy in China and in Africa about China's role in Africa, and
Enhancing long-term cooperation between researchers, academics, media and activists in China and Africa.

The Research themes

The primary purpose of this research project is to undertake a comprehensive analysis of Africa’s engagement with China by focusing on the following thematic areas:

China and de-industrialisation
The Chinese firm in Africa - how are the '9 principles' enforced? (See attached appendix)
The Chinese MNC – what is its modus operandi and how does it differ from the corporate behaviour of other ‘rising’ powers?
China, human rights and good governance
China and the environment
China’s comparative trade, aid and investment behaviour vis-à-vis other Asian and 'Southern' powers, and the older 'Northern' players
Agriculture and biotechnology as alternate sectors for mutual development
Chinese enclave communities and their sociological impact on African societies
The intention in each of these areas is to identify appropriate and sector-specific policy measures as well as development opportunities and challenges. This call for proposals therefore aims to:
Provide an in depth understanding of the impact of the specific research theme on the recipient African country
Evaluate how African governments are responding and ensuring a better co-ordinated response to the Chinese engagement within the specific research theme
Observe the effect this has for African societies - in particular how the Africa-China engagement helps or harms development at the grass roots.
Determine a set of recommendations that could be useful for strengthening the Africa-China engagement.

Call for Proposals

The FAHAMU China in Africa programme therefore invites interested African individuals and institutions to submit proposals in the above thematic areas. There are a total of six research grants to be awarded. Each proposal should include a brief review of the relevant literature in the thematic area relating to the China-Africa engagement, with particular reference to the relevant case study and where the research will be conducted. A clear outline of the methodology must be provided, including the type of data, availability of information and collection strategy.

Applicants are encouraged to form collaborations. Researcher teams must comprise at most three persons with one identified team leader and at least one female researcher.

This call for proposals is designed to strengthen the capacity and development of researchers and institutions working within their home countries. As a result, and given the total value of each grant, researchers are encouraged to submit proposals relating to their home countries and not apply to conduct research in third countries.

Finally all interested parties are encouraged not to duplicate existing studies. Instead the proposals are designed to assist researchers with seed funding for projects, which offer new insights into China’s African impact in each of the thematic areas. In addition, applicants are encouraged to develop their project proposals in line with the 2006 FOCAC commitments (see attached appendix) in order to assess their implementation since the research findings from the six projects will be aimed at feeding into the forthcoming FOCAC Summit to be held in Cairo, Egypt 2009.

Proposals designed along the guidelines specified below should be submitted to the attention of the Research Director of the China in Africa programme, FAHAMU, at the following email address: sanusha@fahamu.org The deadline for submitting proposals is 3rd November 2008.

Proposal requirements

Each proposal should include the following:

Background: The policy context of the proposed research.

Objective(s): A brief statement of the specific objectives based on the coverage of the scoping studies mentioned above.

Methodology: A statement detailing how the research objectives are to be achieved, i.e., hypotheses, methods, data collection, data analysis, etc.

Results: Anticipated results and how they might contribute to knowledge, future research and especially public policy.

Statement of qualification and current CVs

Work Programme and Timeline: The brief description of activities and timeline needed for each activity. Total duration of this study is 6-8 months.

Budget. Estimated expenditure by major line item, e.g., research time, in market travel etc. Total budget should not exceed GBP 5,000

Project leaders must at least fulfill all or some of the following criteria:

a. Completed at least one research project in the proposed thematic area of study;
b. Have a good publication record in the proposed thematic area of study;

Proposals should demonstrate a strong mentoring of young scholars engaged in the China-Africa discourse.

Concluding

It is envisaged that the successful applicants will conduct the research over a 6-8 month period starting in early 2009. All project reports must be finalized before the FOCAC 2009 Summit in Cairo so that they can be collated and published as policy papers as part of the African civil society contribution to the FOCAC process.


2006 FOCAC Commitments:
1. Double its 2006 aid commitments to the continent by 2009.
2. Provide US$3 billion in preferential loans and US$2 billion in preferential buyer’s credits over the next three years.
3. Set-up a China-Africa development fund that will reach US$5 billion, which would encourage and support Chinese companies to invest in Africa.
4. Cancel debt arising from all the interest-free government loans that matured at the end of 2005 owed by heavily indebted poor countries and the least developed countries in Africa that have diplomatic ties with China.
5. Further open up the Chinese market to African products by increasing from 190 to 440 the number of export items to China receiving zero-tariff treatment from the least developed countries in Africa that have relations with China.
6. Build a conference centre for the African Union to support African countries in their efforts to strengthen themselves through unity and to support the process of African integration.
7. Train 15,000 African professionals.
8. Send 100 senior agricultural experts to the continent.
9. Set up ten specific agricultural technology demonstration centres in Africa.
10. Build 30 hospitals.
11. Provide RMB 300 million grant for artemisinin and for the construction of 30 malaria prevention and treatment centres to fight malaria in Africa.
12. Dispatch 300 youth volunteers to the continent.
13. Build 100 schools across the continent.
14. Increase the number of Chinese government scholarships to African students from the current 2000 to 4000 annually.

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