China-Africa Legal and Judiciary Systems: Advancing Mutually Beneficial Economic Relations

Abstract

This paper provides a comparative longitudinal assessment of legal and judicial reforms relevant for China-Africa economic relations. It draws on and extends aspects of institutional and organizational theory, focusing on the concepts of convergence, alignment, hybridization, and institutional voids. Data were obtained from publically available databases from reputable international organizations including the World Bank and the World Economic Forum. Results point to areas where China has made progress more than Africa, and areas where serious capacity and performance gaps remain, especially for individual African countries. The paper provides a brief discussion of the implications for the need to build organizational capacities necessary for strengthening China-Africa economic law and advancing mutually beneficial economic relations and concludes by identifying research limitations, and areas for future research.