China’s Global Development Initiative and the 2030 Agenda: Natural Companions or Uncomfortable Bedfellows
-
Francesca Farrington
and
Nandini Ramanujam
Abstract
In September 2021, the Chinese government launched the Global Development Initiative (GDI), a program aimed at financing the 2030 Agenda and promoting greener and more sustainable development. This article analyses the compatibility of the GDI with the 2030 Agenda, identifying points of convergence and departure. Despite the GDI’s rhetorical packaging as human-rights based and people-centred, the GDI appears to represent a predominantly needs-based approach to development focused on improving socio-economic wellbeing through targeted poverty alleviation programs. While the GDI is most likely to excel in the area of poverty alleviation, this article cautions that the decoupling of institutions and governance from development may prevent China from translating its investment in material wellbeing into long-run development in states with poor governance and weak institutions.
Funding source: Eddie Look & Winnie Wing Yin Chan Research Assistantship Support Fund
Funding source: Dr Ratpan Endowment Fund at the Faculty of Law, McGill University
Funding source: James Robb Fund
Funding source: Caroline Bérubé International Law Research Assistantship Fund
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Prof Y.S. Lee and the editorial team for their assistance, and extend our gratitude to the reviewers for their insightful feedback. We were also fortunate to have research assistance from Nicolas Kamran (McGill Faculty of Law), Andrew Blackwell (McGill Faculty of Law) and Benjamin Foster (McGill Faculty of Law). Finally, we would like to acknowledge the financial contribution received from the Caroline Bérubé International Law Research Assistantship Fund, the Eddie Look & Winnie Wing Yin Chan Research Assistantship Support Fund, the Dr Ratpan Endowment Fund, the James Robb Fund, and the Roberto & Michelina Buffone Research Assistantship Support Fund.
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