Daniel Benson, a doctorate student at the King’s College London, is doing an internship as ICLAC visiting researcher from February to April 2024. We asked him a few questions to get to know him better, and this is what he told us.
1. Name and occupation… Name and occupation
Daniel Benson, PhD of Philosophy – Development Economics and International Development
2. What is your doctoral thesis about? / What is your doctoral thesis about?
My doctoral thesis examines whether OECD nations are competing with Chinese international funding efforts (aid, trade, and foreign direct investment).
China is rapidly becoming a major and alternative source of income, aid, and bilateral understanding for many developing countries. This trend has not gone unnoticed by the international community, which has labeled the increase in Chinese international funding as “rogue,” self-interested, and commercial. Hyperbole, excitement, and misinformation plague the debate on China’s foreign and economic policy and its impact on other traditional partners.
My doctoral thesis addresses this issue by offering a mixed-methods approach to better understand geopolitical competition and how it affects global international development efforts, a phenomenon that has been poorly understood so far.
3. Si tuvieses que resumir tu investigación en una frase… / If you had to summarize your research in one sentence…
My research aims to empirically answer whether Chinese aid, trade, and investment are displacing other traditional partners and if Southern Global recipient nations can benefit from it.
4. What do you expect from your visit to Chile? What do you expect from your visit to Chile?
During my stay in Chile, I hope to apply my research questions to the Chilean case, which has a long history of economic relations with China. To do this, I plan to interview academics, policymakers, and industry members about their experiences with China, how this may have led to differences in their interactions with traditional partners, and whether this has been beneficial for Chile. Additionally, I hope to learn from the Núcleo Milenio ICLAC project and its research and collaborate on new ideas and research agendas.
5. If you had to summarize the impact of China on Latin America, you would say… If you had to summarize the impact of China in Latin America you would say….
Based on my experiences in Costa Rica, Panama, and Argentina, I would say that Western partners are very aware of and concerned about China’s rise in Latin America. They express this by condemning Chinese intervention in these countries and sending diplomatic missions simultaneously with new Chinese projects. This competition generates some additional aid and investment but rarely changes the game. Although this competition seems promising, Latin American countries' negotiating power is limited by the scarce resources allocated to diplomacy and developing a “China strategy.”
6. Lugar favorito de Chile hasta ahora… / Favourite place in Chile until now…
Torres del Paine National Park is magnificent, and doing the famous W trek there was truly awe-inspiring.
6. What book are you reading now? What book are you reading now?
I am reading “Dinner at Antoine’s” by Frances Parkinson Keyes, which follows a group of affluent New Orleanians as they navigate high society and complex interpersonal relationships.