Published by Cambridge University Press
Why do some communities gain roads and schools while others languish for decades? This book investigates how external accountability and domestic political competition shape the allocation of billions in development finance across 48 African countries—revealing how aid from China, the World Bank, and Western donors often favors political power over genuine need. Drawing on newly geocoded data of subnational elections and development projects, alongside vivid case studies of Zambia, Ethiopia, and Ghana—backed by 175 elite interviews—it uncovers a counterintuitive truth: heightened political competition can intensify favoritism, diverting funds to strongholds or swing regions rather than the most underserved areas. While traditional donors attempt to curb favoritism through stricter conditions, their efforts are frequently undercut by domestic political incentives. This compelling, data-driven analysis challenges conventional wisdom and offers crucial insights for rethinking development partnerships that truly serve the Global South.
An excerpt from this book manuscript won the Best Graduate Student Paper Award from the International Political Economy Section at the 2024 International Studies Association Annual Conference.
Cambridge University Press Fifteen Eighty Four Blog Post:
When Elections Meet External Finance: Why Even Good Financiers Fund Political Favoritism
Boston University Global Development Policy Center Policy Brief:
Why Competitive Politics Can Pull Development Finance Away from Need
Podcast
China and the Global South Project Podcast:
China and the Hidden Politics of Global Aid
Book Reviews
China Report
Confirmed Book Talks
Confirmed talks and book events:
- April 2026: Johns Hopkins SAIS, Georgetown University, and the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE)
- May 2026: Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Overseas Development Institute (ODI), University of Oxford, University of International Business and Economics (UIBE), and Peking University
- June 2026: European Political Science Society Annual Conference Book Roundtable
Data
The book’s accompanying dataset is available here:
Download the African Electoral Geography and Incumbent Support Dataset (AEGIS) dataset package (.zip)
The download includes the dataset in .xlsx and .csv formats, a source workbook, a PDF codebook, and a README.