Chinese Special Economic Zones and Africa

The World Institute for Development Economics Research published in November 2014 a paper titled "It Worked in China, So Why Not in Africa? The Political Economy Challenge of Special Economic Zones" by Thomas Farole, World Bank, and Lotta Moberg, George Mason University.

The authors conclude there is no blueprint for successful special economic zone policies and the majority of them fall well below expectations.  They argue this is largely due to flaws in the political economy of special economic zone schemes, which prevent replication of best practice in special economic zone development and management.