Keynote lecture / Ian Taylor Memorial Lecture by Dr. Dominik Kopiński

Dominik Kopiński is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Economics, University of Wroclaw, where he heads the Department of International Economic Relations. He is a co-founder of the Polish Centre for African Studies. His research focuses on economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa, foreign direct investment, development aid, resource policy, and China-Africa relations. He has conducted field research in Angola, Botswana, Ghana, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zambia. His work has been published in leading academic journals, including African Affairs, Global Governance, Third World Quarterly, and the Journal of Southern African Studies. His most recent edited volume is The Political Economy of Chinese FDI and Spillover Effects in Africa (Palgrave, 2023). In this memorial lecture, Dr. Dominik Kopiński challenges conventional understandings of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) by exploring its complex and often overlooked dimensions in the Global South. Drawing on field research and empirical evidence from Chinese firms operating in Zambia and Angola, the lecture critically examines how Western-centric definitions and theories of FDI fail to capture the diverse realities of investment practices in Africa. The lecture interrogates the conceptual limitations of traditional FDI frameworks—particularly the assumptions embedded in OECD and IMF definitions—and highlights how South–South flows, especially from China, defy these categories. Dr. Kopiński explores forms of investment that fall outside classic FDI metrics, such as infrastructure construction financed by state-owned enterprises, small-scale diaspora-led ventures, and sovereign wealth fund engagements. These cases illustrate how capital flows often bypass formal FDI channels, yet exert significant developmental influence. Beyond empirical analysis, the lecture engages with broader decolonial critiques in economics, advocating for epistemic pluralism and the inclusion of perspectives from the Global South.