School of Social and Political Science

Description

The Centre of African Studies (CAS) is delighted to welcome you to the following seminar:

"A comparative analysis of labour outcomes in Chinese firms in manufacturing and construction in Angola and Ethiopia"

Speaker: Professor Carlos Oya, Professor of Political Economy of Development and Head of Department of Development Studies (SOAS, University of London)

This talk focuses on whether and the extent to which Chinese firms produce different labour outcomes compared to other leading firms in manufacturing and construction sectors in Africa, through a systematic comparative analysis of processes, labour regimes and outcomes in Ethiopia and Angola. Two questions are addressed. One focuses on job creation and the issue of workforce localization. The other one concerns working conditions and specifically wages. The talk shows how labour regimes are variegated and very sector-oriented and that differences between firms of different nationalities are not as significant as often assumed. It also debunks some myths about the lack of workforce localization in Chinese firms in different African contexts. Overall, the findings suggest that the specific labour market and policy contexts of the countries where Chinese firms operate are far more important determinants of labour outcomes than the national origins of these firms. A more nuanced understanding of labour regimes and their fluidity is therefore much needed.

When: Wednesday 20th March 2024 (3.30-5pm GMT)

Where: Chrystal Macmillan Building, Seminar Room 2

Format: Hybrid.

For online attendance, please register via Eventbrite

Speaker Biography:

Carlos Oya is a development economist by training. His main research interests are: labour relations and employment, economic transformation, agrarian political economy, development policy, poverty, and research methodology. He worked for several years in government in Mozambique, where he also did extensive field research on rural labour markets and rural poverty. Carlos recently led a project on structural transformations and employment outcomes in infrastructure construction and manufacturing sectors in Ethiopia and Angola, with a special focus on Chinese firms (www.idcea.org ).