| It is widely acknowledged that infrastructure plays a fundamental role in stimulating economic growth in developing countries. Conversely, the large infrastructure gap in low and middle income countries (LMICs) is a major impediment to growth. The deficit is particularly acute for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where new infrastructure investment needs are estimated at US;Given that the issues associated with Chinese and private sector financing are very different in nature, the dissertation takes a mixed-method approach and is broadly divided into two parts. In a first part, a systematic qualitative comparison between the Chinese approach to infrastructure financing in SSA and that of other large multi- and bilateral financiers is undertaken. Unlike previous research, this dissertation takes a holistic approach and compares the different financing models using a framework that assesses infrastructure financing along the "lifecycle" of an infrastructure investment---from the planning stage to the monitoring and upkeep of the facility once it has been built. In a second part, the determinants and the extent of private participation in infrastructure (PPI) in SSA are compared to that in other LMICs using a cross-country panel regression framework. Additionally, using theoretical findings from the literature on the broader topic of private delivery of public services, the contracting mechanisms used for PPI are further explored. |
