Deborah Bräutigam
Bernard L. Schwartz Professor in International Political Economy
Director of China-Africa Research Initiative
About
Dr. Deborah Bräutigam is the Bernard L. Schwartz Professor of Political Economy and Director of the China Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Her most recent books include The Dragon’s Gift: The Real Story of China in Africa (OUP, 2010) and Will Africa Feed China? (OUP, 2015). Before joining SAIS in 2012, she taught at Columbia University and American University. Dr. Bräutigam’s teaching and research focus on international development strategies, governance, and foreign aid.
She has twice won the Fulbright research award and is a recipient of fellowships from the Council on Foreign Relations, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and research grants from the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the UK Centre for Economic Policy and Research (CEPR).
She has served as a consultant for Transparency International, the United Nations, the World Bank, DFID, GIZ, DANIDA, the African Development Bank, and USAID, and has provided commentary to the Financial Times, the New York Times, the Guardian, CNN, NPR, Al-Jazeera, VOA, CCTV, and MSNBC. Dr. Bräutigam has been a visiting scholar at the World Bank, a senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and advised more than a dozen governments on China-Africa relations. Her PhD is from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University.
Brautigam, D. (2016). Will Africa feed China? Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Brautigam, D. (2009). The dragons gift: The real story of China in Africa. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
In the News
The poorest countries may owe less to China than first thought.
Deborah Bräutigam cited in The Economist, 7/4
Africa seen getting more debt relief from China than bondholders.
Deborah Bräutigam cited in Bloomberg, 6/18
An emerging market debt crisis could be the next front in U.S.-China conflict.
Deborah Bräutigam cited in MarketWatch, 5/23
China may agree to delay, not forgive, $150 billion Africa debt.
Deborah Bräutigam quoted in Bloomberg, 5/18
Africa has a question for Beijing: Will you forgive us our debt?
Deborah Bräutigam quoted in South China Morning Post, 5/5
China’s overseas lending and the looming developing country debt crisis
Deborah Bräutigam cited in Vox EU, 5/4
Foreign policy experts call for end to hate crimes against Asian American community: Readers
Deborah Bräutigam and Andrew Mertha cited in USA Today, 4/15
‘In good and bad times’: Africa’s biggest airline, Ethiopian, sticks by China’s side.
Deborah Bräutigam quoted in The Washington Post, 2/9
China’s infrastructure finance model is changing. Here’s how.
Deborah Bräutigam cited in The African Report, 1/14
The ‘debt-trap diplomacy’ debate: Are China’s loans predatory?
Deborah Bräutigam cited in SupChina, 9/18
Big promises, few results: Chinese farms falter in Uganda.
Deborah Bräutigam cited in The Christian Science Monitor, 9/10
No evidence of Chinese debt traps in Africa.
Deborah Bräutigam interviewed on The China Africa Project podcast, 6/15
SDG Knowledge Weekly: Update and Perspectives on Belt and Road Initiative.
Deborah Bräutigam cited in International Institute for Sustainable Development SDG Knowledge HUB, 5/2
No evidence for China’s debt trap diplomacy — American researchers.
Deborah Bräutigam cited in SupChina, 5/1
China’s Belt Road stretches to Africa.
Deborah Bräutigam interviewed on Brookings Institution Dollars and Sense, podcast 4/29
In China, rebranding a foreign loan initiative to calm fears over geopolitical reach.
Deborah Bräutigam quoted in the Los Angeles Times, 4/26
China tries to calm jitters about the ‘Belt and Road’ initiative.
Deborah Bräutigam cited in The Economist, 4/25
Misdiagnosing the Chinese infrastructure push.
Deborah Bräutigam wrote in The American Interest, 4/4
China is upping its aid and development game. How should the U.S. respond?
Deborah Bräutigam wrote in ChinaFile, 2/15