Rethinking the Resource Curse - (Elements in the Politics of Development) by Benjamin Smith & David Waldner (Paperback)

Number of Pages: 75
Genre: Political Science
Sub-Genre: General
Series Title: Elements in the Politics of Development
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Age Range: Adult
Author: Benjamin Smith & David Waldner
Language: English

About the Book

Documents the diversity and dissensus of scholarship on the political resource curse.

Book Synopsis

This Element documents the diversity and dissensus of scholarship on the political resource curse, diagnoses its sources, and directs scholarly attention towards what the authors believe will be more fruitful avenues of future research. In the scholarship to date, there is substantial regional heterogeneity and substantial evidence denying the existence of a political resource curse. This dissensus is located in theory, measure, and research design, especially regarding measurement error and endogenous selection. The work then turns to strategies for reconnecting research on resource politics to the broader literature on democratic development. Finally, the results of the authors' own research is presented, showing that a set of historically contingent events in the Middle East and North Africa are at the root of what has been mistaken for a global political resource curse.