ABSTRACT
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), as presented by the Chinese leadership, contains a range of seemingly contradictory elements. These arise from a complex synthesis of Chinese and Western elements rather than a confusion of aims. An analytical framework is needed which can account for the initiative’s open-ended, syncretic, evolving and complex character. This chapter presents three theoretical approaches – Tang Shiping’s (2013) social evolution paradigm (SEP), Robert Cox’s (1981, 1987) neo-Gramscianism, and a framework derived from Jonathan Holslag’s (2017) offensive mercantilism – which appear to be suitable candidates of macro-level frameworks for analysing the BRI. In order to assess the explanatory power of these theories, below the macro-level a theoretical-methodological approach is needed which allows one to analyse the complexity of the BRI eclectically by combining elements from a range of theoretical approaches. The aim is to bridge between macro-level considerations and the mid- and micro-level empirical data arising from the evolving implementation of the BRI by using an abductive approach which can flexibly evaluate evidence and adapt reactively. This ‘complex eclecticism’ approach allows one to revise the theoretical-methodological framework as necessary and create a basis for evaluation of the macro-level theories both throughout the book and once the analysis is complete.
