China goes global: A comparative study of Chinese hydropower dams in Africa and Asia

1. China goes global: A comparative study of Chinese hydropower dams in Africa and Asia

2. Context • “China goes global: A comparative study of Chinese hydropower dams in Africa and Asia” (ES/J01320X/1) • Funded by the UK Economics and Social Research Council-ESRC • China’s rapid economic growth has created a series of pressures, such as depletion of scarce domestic resources • The country is therefore engaging more closely with a number of low and middle income countries (LMICs) in Asia and Africa • Access to overseas natural resources, new markets and technological advances, have made China the world’s largest player in large hydropower dam projects • This is usually backed by state finance and state-owned enterprises

3. Context • The dynamics of China’s engagement is driven by different motives in Asia and in Africa • SE Asia / Greater Mekong Sub-Region: in some cases electricity exports to China, which involves a range of Chinese provincial power providers; strengthening China’s position in regional governance through trade agreements with neighbouring countries which are linked to dam-building • Africa: electricity exports to China not possible; investment is driven by construction contracts, overseas employment for Chinese, electricity and water access for Chinese industries, particularly in the energy-hungry resource sector.

4. CGG - Project objectives • The aim of the project is to conduct the first comparative analysis of the social, economic, environmental and political impacts of Chinese hydropower dam projects in low and middle income countries • This provides new knowledge for the social sciences in a relatively under-researched and emerging field • It could also inform corporate behaviour in the hydropower sector and shape emerging national and international policy responses • The study includes fieldwork in Cambodia, Malaysia, Ghana, Nigeria as well as China • The chosen dam sites are the Kamchay Dam in Cambodia, the Bakun Dam in Malaysia (Borneo), the Bui Dam in Ghana, and the Zamfara Dam in Nigeria

5. Institutions involved

6. Methodology • The political ecology framework provides a basis for analyzing the conflicts caused by the various forms of control over the access to natural resources such as water and energy • It addresses the unequal distribution of the costs and benefits of environmental change • This has impacts on social and economic inequalities • This in turn has political implications as power relations are affected and often altered

7. Methodology • The Asian Drivers framework (Humphrey and Messner 2005, 2006; Schmitz 2006; Kaplinsky and Messner 2008) assesses China’s direct and indirect impacts as a Rising Power and its channels - aid, trade, investment, global governance, individuals/migrants and environment - of interaction with LMICs. • In each of these channels there will be a mixture of complementary and competitive economic impacts and positive and negative impacts in relation to society and the environment

8. Methods • Comprehensive stakeholder mapping: requires several stakeholder mappings at the national level, the Chinese side • Net-Map approach for the stakeholder mapping to determine key stakeholders, direct and indirect links to other stakeholders and power relations. Software used: Visualyzer (is designed to graphically display small and mid-sized social networks) • Individual interviews and focus group consultations with key experts as well as affected communities • Categorising and coding the sources of the interviews and focus group consultation in NVivio, similar approach across all 4 countries

9. Net-Map approach • Net-Map is an interview-based mapping tool that helps people understand, visualize, discuss, and improve situations in which many different actors influence outcomes • By creating Influence Network Maps, individuals and groups can clarify their own view of a situation, foster discussion, and develop a strategic approach to their networking activities • Net-Map helps players to: • determine what actors are involved in a given network, • how they are linked, • how influential they are, and • what their goals are

10. Influence Network Mapping using Visualyzer Network links Flow of money Flow of information Giving of advice Control and authorization Stakeholder groups NGOs/Civil Society Organizations Government Financiers Research institutions Computer visualization of an influence network map, size of node reflects height of influence tower Industry

11. Nigeria Network links Stakeholder groups Communities International NGOs/Civil Society Organizations Government International Institutions Flow of money Financiers Flow of information Research institutions Giving of advice Industry Control and authorization Consumers Opposition Computer visualization of an influence network map (Nigeria) Local NGOs/Civil Society Organizations Flow of electricity

12. Ghana Network links Stakeholder groups Communities International NGOs/Civil Society Organizations Government International Institutions Flow of money Financiers Flow of information Research institutions Giving of advice Industry Control and authorization Consumers Opposition Computer visualization of an influence network map (Ghana) Local NGOs/Civil Society Organizations Flow of electricity

13. Net-Map approach Can be used to: • Visualize implicit knowledge and understand the interplay of complex formal and informal networks, power relations, and actors’ goals • Uncover sources of conflicts as well as potentials for cooperation • Facilitate knowledge exchange and learning processes (science-society interface)

14. Themes, broad research questions Theme 1: Organisation and motives of Chinese hydropower actors This theme aims to analyse the organisation and motives of Chinese dam-builders and their corporate behaviour: How do the motives and organisation of Chinese firms involved in hydropower development shape their relations with Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs)? Interviews with Chinese stakeholders: 20 semi-structured in-depth interviews with dam builders, financiers, contractors, national policy-makers and international actors carried out by Tsinghua University and International Rivers in Beijing

15. Themes, broad research questions Theme 2: Local and national impacts (Fieldworks) • What are the direct and indirect social and environmental impacts of Chinese hydropower projects at the local and national scale in LMICs? Community studies around dam sites including focus group consultations and 20 in-depths interviews with community members

16. Fieldwork in Ghana • We visited 5 rural villages: 4 resettled villages and 1 village where people refused to be resettled • We carried out: 10 focus groups and 24 interviews with the local population and 5 interviews with local institutional actors

17. Fieldwork in Ghana • Semi-structured interviews and focus groups on: expectations, lifestyle changes, access to resources (water, food, energy, land, forest products), livelihood changes, social networks, education, healthcare, traditional lifestyle, involvement, main challenges, compensation, local development, opposition and conflicts

18. Thank you Giuseppina Siciliano g.siciliano@soas.ac.uk