Kinas utmaning av IMF som normsättande makt

Sammanfattning: This bachelors degree paper explores the research topic how Chinas new strategy and approach to development loans affect IMF as a normative power and ability to set norms in regards to publict debt in Africa. The paper draws on the work of Robert W Cox and his Neo-gramsican theory of norm building in international organizations as well as constructivist theory to create a framework to analyze the Sicomines agreement between China and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Sicomines agreement challenged the public debt norm set by IMF by using an unconventional method of introducing loans by the Chinese Exim bank using commercial terms to finance infrastructure and a subsequent mining project. By reviewing articles commenting the agreement, the agreement itself as well as the IMF framework, prior to, during and after the agreement the paper shows how IMF bends its framework to be more flexible in face of the normative challenge. As a consequent result IMF shows tendencies to bend their framework in countries where a normative challenge exists. The paper also finds that there is no inherent interest from China to challenge the norm if there isn’t any profitable commercial interest to support or be gained.