On Thursday, May 22nd, 2025 at 12:00 PM (CET), we are hosting the CAS SEE Seminar with Mitja Durnik on “China and World Bank Development Approaches in Africa: Between Informal Attitudes and Strict Legalism” in conversation with the RECAS Fellow Haisheng Hu.
Mitja Durnik
Mitja Durnik is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Public Administration, University of Ljubljana. He teaches courses such as public policy analysis, comparative politics, EU politics, and the development of public administration. His research focuses on development theories, youth policies, political theory, and crisis management. He has participated in numerous national and international projects. He is currently writing a book in the field of public policy titled “Crisis Management of Public Policies in Times of Global Change.” As a visiting researcher, he has worked at York University in Toronto and at several other foreign universities. He is also a participant in various international conferences in the fields of cross-border cooperation, political science, and crisis management.
About the Seminar
This lecture will explore the roles of China and the World Bank in Africa’s development, focusing on their contrasting approaches. China favors informal, relationship-based cooperation without political conditions, rooted in long-term partnerships and traditional philosophies such as Confucianism and Daoism (Qin, 2018). In contrast, the World Bank employs a more formal, institutional approach, emphasizing good governance, transparency, and (neo)liberal principles like privatization and reduced public spending. More recently, it has also focused on digitalization and sustainable development. The lecture will highlight key initiatives, including the Great Green Wall (Sahel), the Kenya Electricity Expansion Project, and Nigeria’s Power Sector Recovery Program. China’s involvement will be illustrated through major infrastructure projects such as the Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway and hydropower developments in Sudan.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88989643663?pwd=VnZTOWRmdnl0WEZIdTczc1paZWtkdz09
Meeting ID: 889 8964 3663
Passcode: 328897
Fellowship
Fellowships are supported by OSF Western Balkans, ERSTE Foundation and Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
UNIRI The Moise Palace: Cres Island
An education center of the University of Rijeka. A five-hundred-year-old patrician townhouse and the largest Renaissance palace on the Croatian islands. A venue and forum for various scientific and research activities, it welcomes visiting academics, students and scholars.
