Chinese Commodity Imports in Ghana and Senegal: Demystifying Chinese Business Strength in Urban West Africa

Arbeitspapier

Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, independent entrepreneurial migrants from China have been increasingly flocking to Africa in search of greener pastures. This paper scrutinizes the empirical foundations of the increasingly hostile discourses of African traders regarding the alleged encroachment of the West African urban market space by Chinese petty entrepreneurs. Based on indepth ethnographic fieldwork and interviews, we aim to demystify this common allegation by exploring the diversity of influx channels through which Chinese commodities, said to create unfair and existential competition, come to the African continent. Our analysis of trade trajectories shows that Chinese products were coming to Africa long before the arrival of independent Chinese migrants at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Statistical evidence further supports our stance that Chinese entrepreneurs still represent a minority group in the import of cheap China goods into Ghana and Senegal.

Angaben zum Objekt

• Sprache: Englisch

Verweise und Beziehungen

• Erschienen in: Series: GIGA Working Papers ; No. 180

Klassifikation und Themen

• Klassifikation: Wirtschaft ; Market Structure, Pricing, and Design: Oligopoly and Other Forms of Market Imperfection ; Network Formation and Analysis: Theory ; Empirical Studies of Trade ; International Migration ; Transactional Relationships; Contracts and Reputation; Networks ; Development Planning and Policy: Trade Policy; Factor Movement; Foreign Exchange Policy ; Other Economic Systems: International Trade, Finance, Investment and Aid
• Thema: international trade ; consumer goods ; imperfect competition ; migration ; social networks ; China ; Africa ; Konsumgut ; Außenhandel ; China ; Import ; Unternehmer ; Chinesen ; Ghana ; Senegal

Beteiligte, Orts- und Zeitangaben

• Ereignis: Geistige Schöpfung
• (wer): Marfaing, Laurence ; Thiel, Alena
• Ereignis: Veröffentlichung
• (wer): German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA)
• (wo): Hamburg
• (wann): 2011

Weitere Informationen

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/52403
• Letzte Aktualisierung: 10.03.2025, 11:43 MEZ