Reconciling Different Approaches to Conceptualizing the Glocalization of the Belt and Road Initiative Projects
Julie Yu-Wen Chen
Abstract:
In response to the recently rising number of academic papers that empirically examine local variances in China’s Belt and Initiative (BRI) projects in various foreign lands, this paper points out the tension between attempts to theorize BRI projects. The Sino-localized approach and the assemblage theory were the two main attempts used by scholars from disparate academic disciplines to conceptualize local agency and to understand how local conditionalities, practices, and norms may affect the outcome of BRI projects. We need to examine their differences and similarities, and determine whether they are really irreconcilable. In addition, how their ontological differences lead to epistemological, methodological and analytical differences in studying BRI projects should be clarified as well.
Related Publications
-
The Economic Leash: China’s Financial Tethers and Global Power Plays
China’s emphasis on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth and its integration into global markets have allowed it to wield significant influence internationally. Nonetheless, this focus on rapid expansion has created […]
-
The US and EU, and the Emerging Supply Chain Network: Politics, Prospects, and Allies
The Global Supply Chains have evolved from simply logistical achievements to being the bedrock of the global economy. Driven by technological advances and geopolitical shifts, this transformation underscores the critical […]
-
Hegemony at a Crossroads: The Inverse Dynamics of China’s Global Strategy
Here is my bold statement. Hard power projection decimates soft power but only for authoritarian states. In the early 21st century, I was living in Beijing and at that time […]
-
ISDP Annual Report 2023
ISDP’s Annual Report for the year 2023. We look back on 2023, a year in which tensions and conflicts captured the strategic space in ISDP’s focus areas, making headlines around […]
-
China’s Security Engagement with Africa & The “Global South” Narrative
In recent decades, China has actively sought to position itself as a pivotal partner and emerging leader within the Global South. Despite the lack of clear consensus on the definition […]