IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/asiaps/v2y2015i3p573-589.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Chinese Overseas Hydropower Dams and Social Sustainability: The Bui Dam in Ghana and the Kamchay Dam in Cambodia

Author

Listed:
  • Frauke Urban
  • Johan Nordensvard
  • Giuseppina Siciliano
  • Bingqin Li

Abstract

There is a shortage of empirical studies on the relationship between Chinese hydropower dams and social sustainability. Comparative research on Chinese-funded and Chinese-built hydropower projects is rare. This article aims to fill parts of this gap by discussing these issues in relation to Chinese overseas hydropower dams in Ghana (Bui Dam) and Cambodia (Kamchay Dam). Both projects are built by Sinohydro and financed by ExIm Bank. This article draws on in-depths interviews and focus group discussions with local communities affected by the dams, institutional actors in Ghana and Cambodia, Chinese actors, and dam builders. The article uses an environmental justice perspective as an analytical framework. The article concludes that the dam projects could improve their social sustainability framework in practice and theory; social benchmarking should be introduced and social policies need to be improved to be in line with international social standards on hydropower projects.

Suggested Citation

  • Frauke Urban & Johan Nordensvard & Giuseppina Siciliano & Bingqin Li, 2015. "Chinese Overseas Hydropower Dams and Social Sustainability: The Bui Dam in Ghana and the Kamchay Dam in Cambodia," Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 2(3), pages 573-589, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:asiaps:v:2:y:2015:i:3:p:573-589
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1002/app5.103
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Frauke Urban & Johan Nordensvärd & Deepika Khatri & Yu Wang, 2013. "An analysis of China’s investment in the hydropower sector in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 301-324, April.
    2. Mirumachi, Naho & Torriti, Jacopo, 2012. "The use of public participation and economic appraisal for public involvement in large-scale hydropower projects: Case study of the Nam Theun 2 Hydropower Project," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 125-132.
    3. World Commission on Environment and Development,, 1987. "Our Common Future," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780192820808, Decembrie.
    4. Oliver Hensengerth, 2013. "Chinese hydropower companies and environmental norms in countries of the global South: the involvement of Sinohydro in Ghana’s Bui Dam," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 285-300, April.
    5. Hensengerth, Oliver, 2011. "Interaction of Chinese institutions with host governments in dam construction: the Bui dam in Ghana," IDOS Discussion Papers 3/2011, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Tom Ogwang & Frank Vanclay, 2021. "Resource-Financed Infrastructure: Thoughts on Four Chinese-Financed Projects in Uganda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-22, March.
    2. Kwadwo Owusu & Paul W. K. Yankson & Alex B. Asiedu & Peter B. Obour, 2017. "Resource utilization conflict in downstream non‐resettled communities of the Bui Dam in Ghana," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 41(4), pages 234-243, November.
    3. Fadzilah Majid Cooke & Johan Nordensvard & Gusni Bin Saat & Frauke Urban & Giuseppina Siciliano, 2017. "The Limits of Social Protection: The Case of Hydropower Dams and Indigenous Peoples' Land," Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 4(3), pages 437-450, September.
    4. Taitiya Kenneth Yuguda & Sunday Adiyoh Imanche & Tian Ze & Tosin Yinka Akintunde & Bobby Shekarau Luka, 2023. "Hydropower development, policy and partnership in the 21st century: A China-Nigeria outlook," Energy & Environment, , vol. 34(4), pages 1170-1204, June.
    5. Joao J. M. Ferreira & Cristina Fernandes & Vanessa Ratten, 2019. "The effects of technology transfers and institutional factors on economic growth: evidence from Europe and Oceania," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 44(5), pages 1505-1528, October.
    6. Andrea Schapper & Frauke Urban, 2021. "Large dams, norms and Indigenous Peoples," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 39(S1), pages 61-80, August.
    7. Tang, Keyi & Shen, Yingjiao, 2020. "Do China-financed dams in Sub-Saharan Africa improve the region's social welfare? A case study of the impacts of Ghana's Bui Dam," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    8. Siciliano, Giuseppina & Urban, Frauke, 2017. "Equity-based Natural Resource Allocation for Infrastructure Development: Evidence From Large Hydropower Dams in Africa and Asia," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 130-139.
    9. Andrea Schapper & Christine Unrau & Sarah Killoh, 2020. "Social mobilization against large hydroelectric dams: A comparison of Ethiopia, Brazil, and Panama," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(2), pages 413-423, March.
    10. Kirchherr, Julian & Matthews, Nathanial & Charles, Katrina J. & Walton, Matthew J., 2017. "“Learning it the Hard Way”: Social safeguards norms in Chinese-led dam projects in Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 529-539.
    11. Chen, Yunnan & Landry, David, 2018. "Capturing the rains: Comparing Chinese and World Bank hydropower projects in Cameroon and pathways for South-South and North South technology transfer," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 561-571.
    12. Hensengerth, Oliver, 2018. "South-South technology transfer: Who benefits? A case study of the Chinese-built Bui dam in Ghana," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 499-507.
    13. Kwabena Asiama & Monica Lengoiboni & Paul Van der Molen, 2017. "In the Land of the Dammed: Assessing Governance in Resettlement of Ghana’s Bui Dam Project," Land, MDPI, vol. 6(4), pages 1-24, November.
    14. Castro-Diaz, Laura & García, María Alejandra & Villamayor-Tomas, Sergio & Lopez, Maria Claudia, 2023. "Impacts of hydropower development on locals’ livelihoods in the Global South," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    15. Mayeda, A.M. & Boyd, A.D., 2020. "Factors influencing public perceptions of hydropower projects: A systematic literature review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    16. Kirchherr, Julian & Matthews, Nathanial, 2018. "Technology transfer in the hydropower industry: An analysis of Chinese dam developers’ undertakings in Europe and Latin America," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 546-558.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Paul W. K. Yankson & Alex B. Asiedu & Kwadwo Owusu & Frauke Urban & Giuseppina Siciliano, 2018. "The livelihood challenges of resettled communities of the Bui dam project in Ghana and the role of Chinese dam†builders," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 36(S1), pages 476-494, March.
    2. Fadzilah Majid Cooke & Johan Nordensvard & Gusni Bin Saat & Frauke Urban & Giuseppina Siciliano, 2017. "The Limits of Social Protection: The Case of Hydropower Dams and Indigenous Peoples' Land," Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 4(3), pages 437-450, September.
    3. Mirja Kattelus & Muhammad Mizanur Rahaman & Olli Varis, 2014. "Myanmar under reform: Emerging pressures on water, energy and food security," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 38(2), pages 85-98, May.
    4. Kittiya Yongvanich & James Guthrie, 2006. "An extended performance reporting framework for social and environmental accounting," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(5), pages 309-321, September.
    5. Peter Roberts, 2002. "The Scottish strategic and spatial context for sustainable development," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 10(3), pages 131-139.
    6. Maite Cubas‐Díaz & Miguel Ángel Martínez Sedano, 2018. "Measures for Sustainable Investment Decisions and Business Strategy – A Triple Bottom Line Approach," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(1), pages 16-38, January.
    7. Mechthild Donner & Anne Verniquet & Jan Broeze & Katrin Kayser & Hugo de Vries, 2021. "Critical success and risk factors for circular business models valorising agricultural waste and by-products," Post-Print hal-03004851, HAL.
    8. Claire Woods & Roger Urwin, 2010. "Putting Sustainable Investing into Practice: A Governance Framework for Pension Funds," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 92(1), pages 1-19, April.
    9. Cornelis Leeuwen & Jos Frijns & Annemarie Wezel & Frans Ven, 2012. "City Blueprints: 24 Indicators to Assess the Sustainability of the Urban Water Cycle," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 26(8), pages 2177-2197, June.
    10. Pero, Margherita & Bottani, Eleonora & Bigliardi, Barbara, 2014. "Exploring Sustainability in Construction Supply Chains," Chapters from the Proceedings of the Hamburg International Conference of Logistics (HICL), in: Kersten, Wolfgang & Blecker, Thorsten & Ringle, Christian M. (ed.), Next Generation Supply Chains: Trends and Opportunities. Proceedings of the Hamburg International Conference of Logistics (HICL), Vol. 18, volume 18, pages 161-182, Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), Institute of Business Logistics and General Management.
    11. Euston Quah, 2015. "Pursuing Economic Growth in Asia: The Environmental Challenge," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(10), pages 1487-1504, October.
    12. CHEN, Helen S.Y., 2020. "Designing Sustainable Humanitarian Supply Chains," OSF Preprints m82ar, Center for Open Science.
    13. Milazzo, M.F. & Spina, F. & Cavallaro, S. & Bart, J.C.J., 2013. "Sustainable soy biodiesel," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 806-852.
    14. Jim Butcher, 2006. "The United Nations International Year of Ecotourism: a critical analysis of development implications," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 6(2), pages 146-156, April.
    15. Matthias Fischer & Harald Heinrichs, 2018. "Dimensions, Dialectic, Discourse. Three Political Perspectives on the Sustainability of the German Healthcare System," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-22, July.
    16. Parvathi Jayaprakash & R. Radhakrishna Pillai, 2022. "The Role of ICT for Sustainable Development: A Cross-Country Analysis," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 34(1), pages 225-247, February.
    17. Denise Ravet, 2011. "Lean production: the link between supply chain and sustainable development in an international environment," Post-Print hal-00691666, HAL.
    18. Anna Beniermann & Martin Glos & Heike Schumacher & Ingo Fietze & Stephan Völker & Annette Upmeier zu Belzen, 2023. "‘Sleep Blindness’ in Science Education: How Sleep Health Literacy Can Serve as a Link between Health Education and Education for Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-22, August.
    19. Okechukwu Ukaga, 2014. "Gilbert Silvius, Ron Schipper, Julia Planko, Jasper van den Brink and Adri Kohler: Sustainability in project management," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 16(2), pages 455-457, April.
    20. McCauley, Darren & Pettigrew, Kerry, 2023. "Building a just transition in asia-pacific: Four strategies for reducing fossil fuel dependence and investing in clean energy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:asiaps:v:2:y:2015:i:3:p:573-589. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=2050-2680 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.