Lovise Aalen
Research Professor, CMIPolitical scientist focusing on democracy, governance and women's employment and empowement in the Horn of Africa
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A joint initiative between the University of Bergen
and CMI – Chr. Michelsen Institute
China, Africa and the future of development aid
05.03.2026
12:00 - 13:00English
What are the characteristics of China’s development aid, and how does it compare with aid from traditional donor countries?
MEAACT / Stuart Price China has rapidly become a major provider of development assistance, reshaping how global aid is delivered and understood. This seminar features the authors and contributors to the new book Chinese Development Aid and Africa: What, How and Why.
The discussion will explore the defining characteristics of China’s development aid, how it compares with aid from traditional donor countries, and the implications for the global development landscape.
We’ll also examine China’s role within a shifting global order, at a time when aid to the world’s poorest countries is declining and international cooperation is under strain.
Facebook eventEvent info.
Bergen GlobalJekteviksbakken 31, Bergen
05.03.2026
12:00 - 13:00
English
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Hilde Selbervik
Director, U4Hilde Selbervik is a contemporary historian with research interests in developing aid, human rights, economic and political reforms, conditionality and international negotiations.
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Xuefei Shi
Affiliated Researcher, CMIXuefei Shi is a cultural anthropologist and development researcher focusing on Madagascar, East Africa and the Indian Ocean.
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Elling N. Tjønneland
Senior Researcher, CMIPolitical scientist focusing on development and development assistance, rising powers and African development and a strong emphasis on South Africa and Southern Africa.
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Hans Jørgen Gåsemyr
Senior researcher, NUPIHans Jørgen Gåsemyr (PhD) is a senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI).
Read moreLovise Aalen
Research Professor, CMI
Political scientist focusing on democracy, governance and women's employment and empowement in the Horn of Africa
Lovise Aalen has researched Ethiopian politics for the last two decades. She has focused on the implementation of ethnic federalism, the EPRDF’s ideas of revolutionary democracy and the developmental state, regime-youth interactions, and female political participation in authoritarian contexts.
Hilde Selbervik
Director, U4
Hilde Selbervik is a contemporary historian with research interests in developing aid, human rights, economic and political reforms, conditionality and international negotiations.
Xuefei Shi
Affiliated Researcher, CMI
Xuefei Shi is a cultural anthropologist and development researcher focusing on Madagascar, East Africa and the Indian Ocean.
He is a post-doctoral researcher in the European Research Council (ERC)-funded project “Transoceanic Fishers: Multiple Mobilities in and out of the South China Sea” (TransOcean) at CMI. His research focuses on trans-Indian Ocean seafood trade, Sinophone maritime worlds, and China’s social and ecological footprint in East Africa.
He received my PhD in Development Studies at Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands. He has extensive field experience in the Southwest Indian Ocean and East Africa region, along the multiethnic Swahili coast, the great island of Madagascar, and the Mascarene Archipelago.
He is an expert on China and the global governance with more than 10 years’ experience. He provided policy consultancy to development studies/projects funded by World Bank, UNESCO, WWF, Oxfam and Ford Foundation.
Elling N. Tjønneland
Senior Researcher, CMI
Political scientist focusing on development and development assistance, rising powers and African development and a strong emphasis on South Africa and Southern Africa.
Tjønneland is a political scientist with more than 30 years of experience focusing on a range of development issues and development aid and with a strong geographical focus on Africa, South Africa and Southern Africa. He has led numerous international assessment and evaluation teams commissioned by a range of Norwegian, international and African institutions.
He has field experience from many countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. This includes Angola, Botswana, Cambodia, China, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malaysia, Malawi, Mocambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Palestine, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Hans Jørgen Gåsemyr
Senior researcher, NUPI
Hans Jørgen Gåsemyr (PhD) is a senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI).
His background includes social science and Chinese language and area studies from Norwegian and Chinese universities. His MA and PhD degrees are in Political Science.
Bergen Global is a joint initiative between the University of Bergen and Chr. Michelsen Institute that addresses global challenges.
