Power Over Progress: How Politics Shape Development Finance in Africa

Why do some communities have access to roads and schools while others go without for decades? Keyi Tang's Power Over Progress investigates how external accountability and domestic political competition shape the allocation of fund in development finance across 48 African countries. While traditional donors attempt to curb favoritism through stricter conditions, their efforts are frequently undercut by domestic political incentives. Tang reveals how development finance from China, the World Bank, and Western donors often favors political power over need. She draws on newly geocoded data of subnational electoral results and development projects, alongside case studies of Zambia, Ethiopia, and Ghana, to explain how heightened political competition can intensify favoritism, diverting funds to strongholds or swing regions rather than the most underserved areas. Offering convincing data-driven analysis, Tang challenges conventional wisdom with crucial insights for rethinking development partnerships in the Global South.

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction; 2. Cross-country patterns in subnational allocation of development finance; 3. No hyena eats the lion's share: centralized rent management and subdued regional favoritism in Ethiopia; 4. An ounce of competition, a pound of gold: short time horizon, presidentialism, and rampant ethnic favoritism in Zambia; 5. Ghana: short horizons, decentralized rent management, and the targeting of swing voters during electoral cycles; 6. Conclusion; Appendix; Bibliography; Index.

About the Author :
Keyi Tang is the Assistant Professor in international relations and global governance in the department of Society, Politics, and Sustainability at ESADE Business School, Universitat Ramon Llull. Her book section won the 2024 Best Graduate Student Paper Award from the International Political Economy Section of the International Studies Association. Her other work appears in Review of International Political Economy, Energy Economics, Energy Policy, and media outlets like The China-Global South Project and South China Morning Post.

Review :
'Keyi Tang delivers a landmark and insightful study on foreign aid distribution across Africa. Skillfully combining large-N analysis, elite interviews and rich case studies, this book offers a groundbreaking perspective on development finance's distributive politics and stands as essential reading for scholars and policymakers seeking to understand the complexities of aid and clientelism.' Axel Dreher, Professor of International and Development Politics, Heidelberg University, Germany 'In this strong theoretically and empirically driven book, Dr. Tang goes behind the numbers to look at the political economy of Chinese development finance in Africa. Not dissimilar from Western development finance, Tang finds that rather than much of this financing going to serve the development needs of Africa, much of it serves dominant and powerful interests in the region. Although Chinese finance is associated with economic growth in the region (and Western finance is not), Tang's work implies that the pattern of such growth may accentuate existing inequities across Africa. Tang challenges African countries and Chinese financiers alike to truly offer a new pathway for development finance in Africa.' Kevin P. Gallagher, Professor and Director, Boston University Global Development Policy Center, USA 'The Chinese say: 'to get rich, first build a road.' Keyi Tang's excellent new book unpacks the pork-barrel distortions that often thwart fairness in locating roads and other projects across Africa. Her deft grasp of data and beautifully rendered case studies show how favoritism works – no matter whether funds originate in Washington or Beijing – and how it might be tackled.' Deborah Brautigam, Director, China Africa Research Initiative, School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University