A vast literature evaluates the effectiveness of development aid, often reaching sobering
conclusions. We argue that a key shortcoming of this literature is the focus on a narrow …

Night lights, as detected by satellites, are increasingly used by economists, typically as a
proxy for economic activity. The growing popularity of these data reflects either the absence …

China is the world's largest official creditor, but we lack basic facts about the terms and
conditions of its lending. Very few contracts between Chinese lenders and their government …

This article introduces a new dataset of official financing from China to 138 develo**
countries between 2000 and 2014. It investigates whether Chinese development finance …

We investigate whether foreign aid from China is prone to political capture in aid-receiving
countries. Specifically, we examine whether more Chinese aid is allocated to the birth …

Is foreign aid an effective instrument of soft power? Does it generate affinity for donor
countries and the values they espouse? This article answers these questions in the context …

Do elites capture foreign aid? This paper documents that aid disbursements to highly aid-
dependent countries coincide with sharp increases in bank deposits in offshore financial …

Considering the mounting criticisms concerning Chinese aid practices, the present paper
investigates whether Chinese aid projects fuel local-level corruption in Africa. To this end …

Chinese “aid” is a lightning rod for criticism. Policy-makers, journalists, and public
intellectuals claim that Bei**g uses its largesse to cement alliances with political leaders …

China's growing economic involvement in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America has been
a source of major controversy. The official Chinese position maintains that the growth of …