Malaria and Chinese economic activities in Africa

Abstract

This paper presents novel evidence for the influence of the disease environment, in particular malaria exposure, on the geographic location of Chinese economic activities in Africa. Since Chinese infrastructure project contractors rely on Chinese workers, malaria exposure might constitute an important factor for their employment and productivity. Combining data on Chinese construction projects in combination with geo-localized information about the presence of individuals, the results reveal a lower propensity of Chinese activities and presence of Chinese workers in areas of high risk of contracting malaria infections. Additional findings suggest that this effect is mitigated partly through the selection of Chinese workers that from regions in China with high malaria risk, through the substitution of Chinese workers with local workers with greater immunity, or through the availability of malaria treatment. JEL-classification: F2, F6, J2, J6