Lynne Ciochetto
This timely book provides a comprehensive overview of the activities of the major foreign forces active in contemporary Sub-Saharan Africa. Stimulated by the abundance of reports in the media criticizing China’s presence in Sub-Saharan Africa, there is an analysis of China’s involvement in the region compared to the largest Western players: the United States, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. China has only been economically active in Sub-Saharan Africa since the 1990s, while the United States, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have been active since the 1950s. Indeed, the World Bank has been the major lender for development during the whole period. The book explores how these foreign interests have assisted with, or hindered progress towards, addressing the challenges facing the region. These challenges include high rates of poverty and low levels of human development, loss of political and economic sovereignty, periodic sluggish economic development, government indebtedness, illegal financial flows and corruption, the resource curse, environmental destruction and climate change. The approach is interdisciplinary and emphasises the key development issues: social, economic and environmental sustainability. An audit approach is used to explore changes within China and the West since the 1950s and evaluate their impact on Sub-Saharan Africa.China versus the US, World Bank and IMF in Sub-Saharan Africa is an important reference for academics, researchers and students. It is also written in an accessible style that is suitable for the general reader.
