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Are the Chinese in Africa More Innovative than the Africans? Comparing Chinese and Nigerian Entrepreneurial Migrants' Cultures of Innovation

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  • Kohnert, Dirk

Abstract

The remarkable influx of Chinese migrant entrepreneurs in West Africa has been met with growing resistance from established African entrepreneurs. Whether the Chinese have a competitive edge over Africans because of distinctive sociocultural traits or whether the Chineseʹs supposed effectiveness is just a characteristic feature of any trading diaspora is open to question. This comparative exploratory study of Chinese and Nigerian entrepreneurial migrants in Ghana and Benin provides initial answers to these questions. Apparently, the cultural stimuli for migrant drivers of change are not restricted to inherited value systems and religions, such as a Protestant ethic or Confucianism. Rather, they are continually adapted and invented anew by transnational migration networks in a globalized world. There is no evidence of the supposed superiority of the innovative culture of Chinese entrepreneurial migrants versus that of African entrepreneurial migrants. Instead, there exist trading diasporas which have a generally enhanced innovative capacity vis-àvis local entrepreneurs, regardless of the national culture in which they are embedded. In addition, the rivalry of Chinese and Nigerian migrant entrepreneurs in African markets does not necessarily lead to the often suspected cut-throat competition. Often the actions of each group are complementary and mutual benefiting to those of the other. Under certain conditions they even contribute to poverty alleviation in the host country.

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  • Kohnert, Dirk, 2010. "Are the Chinese in Africa More Innovative than the Africans? Comparing Chinese and Nigerian Entrepreneurial Migrants' Cultures of Innovation," EconStor Conference Papers 119528, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:esconf:119528
    Note: Author's version Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1636250
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    Cited by:

    1. Marfaing, Laurence & Thiel, Alena, 2011. "Chinese Commodity Imports in Ghana and Senegal: Demystifying Chinese Business Strength in Urban West Africa," GIGA Working Papers 180, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies.
    2. Kohnert, Dirk, 2022. "African migrants plight in China: Afrophobia impedes China's race for Africa's resources and markets," MPRA Paper 111346, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Kohnert, Dirk, 2019. "L'éthique de l'intégration régionale et continentale africaine [The ethics of African regional and continental integration]," MPRA Paper 95579, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Kohnert, Dirk, 2016. "Chinese and African Migrant Entrepreneur’s Articulation Shaped By African Agency," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 38(2), pages 156-166.
    5. Kohnert, Dirk, 2019. "The ethics of African regional and continental integration," EconStor Preprints 205257, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    6. Kohnert, Dirk, 2022. "Le sort des migrants africains en Chine : L'afrophobie entrave la course de la Chine pour les ressources et les marchés de l'Afrique [African migrants plight in China: Afrophobia impedes China's ra," MPRA Paper 111355, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. repec:ajn:jobafd:2017:p:42-53 is not listed on IDEAS

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    JEL classification:

    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • N85 - Economic History - - Micro-Business History - - - Asia including Middle East
    • N87 - Economic History - - Micro-Business History - - - Africa; Oceania
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • M13 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - New Firms; Startups
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

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