Professional Affiliation

Professor of Political Science and Researcher, Center for China and Asia-Pacific Studies, Universidad del Pacifico, Peru

Expert Bio

Cynthia A. Sanborn is a Professor of Political Science at the Universidad del Pacífico. She has previously been Vice President for Research and Director of a major think tank at the same university. Dr. Sanborn has written and edited articles and books on issues related to Peruvian and international politics and development, corporate social responsibility, and the extractive industries. Her most recent work has focused on the socio-environmental and political impacts of Chinese investment in Latin America. She is a member of the Working Group on Development and the Environment in the Americas, based at Boston University, and has previously been the William Henry Bloomberg Visiting Professor at Harvard University. Dr. Sanborn received her PhD and MA in Government from Harvard University and her BA in Political Science from the University of Chicago.

Wilson Center Project

Latin America, China and the Challenges to Resource Governance

Project Summary

This project examines the challenges to effective governance of natural resources in Latin America, against the backdrop of expanding trade relations with and inflows of investment from China. Unlike studies focusing on failure, it analyzes the experience of two countries that have made progress in both respects, Peru and Chile, examining what factors explain their relative success, and what lessons may be learned for other countries that aim for constructive developmental relations with China. Among the factors examined are core institutional reforms, private sector commitment, academic expertise, mobilized civil societies, and learning on the part of Chinese counterparts.

Major Publications

Governing Extractive Industries. Politics, History, Ideas. Oxford University Press, 2018. (With Anthony Bebbington, Abdul-Garafu Abdulai, Denise Humphries Bebbington and Marja Hinefelaar)

Development Banks and Sustainability in the Andean Amazon. Routledge, 2019. Co-edited with Rebecca Ray and Kevin P. Gallagher

China and Sustainable Development in Latin America: The Social and Environmental Dimension. Londen. Anthem Press, 2017. (With Rebecca Ray, Kevin Gallagher and Andres Lopez.