Hannah Mcnicol

Hannah holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in History and Politics from Magdalen College, University of Oxford (2018) and a Masters in Development Studies, specialising in Gender from the University of Melbourne (Deans Honours List). She is a dual awarded PhD Student at the University of Melbourne and University of Manchester and affiliate of the Global Development Institute.

Hannah's research focuses on the mobile policy of Chinese Special Economic Zones in the context of China's Belt and Road Initiative and the ‘Second’ Global Cold War. Hannah is interested in exploring an emerging Chinese aid/Development ideology and practice observed in ‘softer’ SEZs with SDG objectives along the BRI. Hannah hopes to put policy mobilities and critical Development Studies in conversation with one another to better understand and highlight the role of local communities in this evolving mobile policy, with a particular focus on SDG 5: Gender Equality. Hannah’s research will also explore how the historiographical frameworks of the First Global Cold War may be employed to better understand the ‘Second’ Global Cold War today.

Publications include being a key contributor to an Asian Development Bank paper at Oxford University on economic growth policy and sustainable investment in China, publications on the need for ethical representation in the development sector, women’s economic empowerment in Cambodia , financial inclusion and women's entrepreneurship in Nepal and a Second Global Cold War observatory dispatch. Hannah also works with the Australian International Development Network and Good Return (an Australian development organisation focused on women’s economic empowerment in the Asia-Pacific). Hannah regularly contributes to Good Return’s blog and is part of a team to produce the Frontier Broker Network’s ‘Investing in Gender Equality’ podcast.