Projects

  1. International Cooperation and Local Agency in African Development: China-African Partnerships, International Donors and Community Perceptions thereof.
    This project is led by Professors Joost Herman and Dr Kerstin Tomiak and funded by the China-African Studies Programme funding, which focuses on the Role and Mechanism of International organisations in African Development.
  2. German Foreign Policy Narratives on German-Chinese Interaction: "Wandel durch Handel"
    This project is led by Dr Kerstin Tomiak.
  3. The Geopolitics of Strategic Communication: Experimental Evidence on European Public Responses to Chinese Technology Investments
    This project is led by Dr Wilfred M. Chow and Dr Zhan Zhang.
    As geopolitical tensions reshape global technology markets, Chinese firms face unprecedented public skepticism when expanding into Western economies. This research uses an experimental study to test how different messaging strategies affect public attitudes toward Chinese technology investment. Using survey experiments with UK residents, the study tests how different messaging strategies—including security reassurances and economic benefit promises—influence public support for Chinese firms compared to Japanese companies across critical technology sectors like battery manufacturing, renewable energy, and cloud storage. The research seeks to provide evidence-based results for Chinese companies seeking to build public trust and navigate geopolitical tensions when expanding into European markets, while informing policymakers on how public opinion affects in foreign investment decisions.
  4. The Goldilocks Trap: External Support, Deterrence, and Preventive War in Ukraine
    This project is led by Dr Wilfred M. Chow.
    Why did massive Western military aid fail to prevent Russia's invasion of Ukraine, while the prospect of NATO expansion may have provoked it? This research investigates why external support sometimes fails to prevent conflict, using Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine as a case study. The project combines formal modeling with survey experiments to test a "Goldilocks Paradox": low external support fails to deter due to perception gaps between defenders and challengers, while high support triggers preventive wars as challengers fear future power shifts. Only moderate support can thread this needle, creating a narrow "zone of peace." The Ukraine case exemplifies both mechanisms—insufficient Western backing failed to deter Russia, while NATO expansion prospects triggered Putin's preventive logic. The study reveals inherent tradeoffs in calibrating external support for stability.