Does Mother Nature Corrupt? Natural Resources, Corruption, and Economic Growth

Does Mother Nature Corrupt? Natural Resources, Corruption, and Economic Growth
Author: Mr.Carlos Leite
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 35
Release: 1999-07-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1451850735

This paper argues that natural resource abundance creates opportunities for rent-seeking behavior and is an important factor in determining a country’s level of corruption. In a simple growth model, we illustrate the interrelationships between natural resources, corruption, and economic growth, and discuss potential anti-corruption policies. We show that the extent of corruption depends on natural resource abundance, government policies, and the concentration of bureaucratic power. Furthermore, the growth effects of natural resource discoveries and anticorruption policies crucially depend on the economy’s state of development. We empirically corroborate the model’s implications in a cross-country framework with both corruption and growth endogenized.

Natural Resources, Democracy and Corruption

Natural Resources, Democracy and Corruption
Author: Sambit Bhattacharyya
Publisher:
Total Pages: 35
Release: 2008
Genre: Corruption
ISBN: 9780734040138

We study how natural resources can feed corruption and how this effect depends on the quality of the democratic institutions. Our game-theoretic model predicts that natural resources lead to an increase in corruption if the quality of the democratic institutions is relatively poor, but not otherwise. We use panel data covering the period 1980 to 2004 and 99 countries to test this theoretical prediction. Our estimates confirm that the relationship between resource abundance and corruption depends on the quality of the democratic institutions. In particular, resource abundance is positively associated with corruption only in countries that have endured a nondemocratic regime for more than 60 percent of the years since 1956. Our main results hold when we control for the effects of income, time varying common shocks, regional fixed effects and various additional covariates. They are also robust to various alternative measures of natural resources, corruption and the quality of the democratic institutions. These findings imply that democratization can be a powerful tool to reduce corruption in resource-rich countries.

Corruption, Natural Resources and Development

Corruption, Natural Resources and Development
Author: Aled Williams
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 191
Release: 2017-01-27
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1785361201

This book provides a fresh and extensive discussion of corruption issues in natural resources sectors. Reflecting on recent debates in corruption research and revisiting resource curse challenges in light of political ecology approaches, this volume provides a series of nuanced and policy-relevant case studies analyzing patterns of corruption around natural resources and options to reach anti-corruption goals. The potential for new variations of the resource curse in the forest and urban land sectors and the effectiveness of anti-corruption policies in resource sectors are considered in depth. Corruption in oil, gas, mining, fisheries, biofuel, wildlife, forestry and urban land are all covered, and potential solutions discussed.

Natural Resources and Economic Growth

Natural Resources and Economic Growth
Author: Marc Badia-Miró
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 463
Release: 2015-05-22
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1317669185

The relationship between natural capital and economic growth is an open debate in the field of economic development. Is an abundance of natural resources a blessing or a curse for economic performance? The field of Economic History offers an excellent vantage to explore the relevance of institutions, technical progress and supply-demand drivers. Natural Resources and Economic Growth contains theoretical and empirical articles by leading scholars who have studied this subject in different historical periods from the 19th century to the present day and in different parts of the world. Part I presents the theoretical issues and discusses the meaning of the "curse" and the relevance of the historical perspective. Part II captures the diversity of experiences, presenting thirteen independent case studies based on historical results from North and South America, Africa, Asia, Oceania and Europe. This book emphasizes that an abundance of natural resources is not a fixed situation. It is a process that reacts to changes in the structure of commodity prices and factor endowments, and progress requires capital, labour, technical change and appropriate institutional arrangements. This abundance is not a given, but is part of the evolution of the economic system. History shows that institutional quality is the key factor to deal with abundant natural resources and, especially, with the rents derived from their use and exploitation. This wide ranging volume will be of great relevance to all those with an interest in economic history, development, economic growth, natural resources, world history and institutional economics.

Corruption, Economic Growth and Globalization

Corruption, Economic Growth and Globalization
Author: Aurora A.C. Teixeira
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 317
Release: 2015-08-14
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1317691628

Corruption is increasingly placed on top of the agenda of national governments and supra national institutions, such as the OECD, UN or the World Bank. A necessary condition for promoting sustainable economic growth is the pre-existence of a stable political system which is able to control corruption. Corruption, however, is a very complex issue, associated with institutional and cultural specificities, personality traits related to individualistic values, and criminal personalities. In this book the social, political and economic realities that prevail in particular settings are viewed from an interdisciplinary, multidimensional, and a multi country perspective. This book is divided into three parts. The first part presents a comprehensive, theoretical and empirical framework of corruption with an overview of literature on economic growth and corruption. Part two, encompasses the in-depth analysis of several countries, ranging from middle corrupted contexts like Portugal, to highly corrupted countries including Serbia, Russia, Thailand and China- the latter viewed from the perspective of firms from a very low corruption country such as Finland. The final part explores the prevention and control of corruption, looking at the public sector in Thailand and fighting corruption with different strategies. This volume is of the interest of those who study international economics, development economics or organised crime.

Natural Resources and Economic Development

Natural Resources and Economic Development
Author: Edward Barbier
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 438
Release: 2005
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780521706513

A comprehensive analysis of natural resource use and economic development in poor countries, first published in 2005.

The Curse of Natural Resources

The Curse of Natural Resources
Author: Sevil Acar
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 250
Release: 2017-02-20
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1137587237

This book examines the paradox that resource-rich countries often struggle to manage their resources in a way that will help their economies thrive. It looks at how a country's political regime and quality of governance can determine the degree to which it benefits - or suffers - from having natural resources, shifting away from the traditional focus on economic growth data to study the complex implications of these resources for human well-being and sustainable development. To this end, Acar examines a panel of countries in terms of the effects of their natural resources on human development and genuine saving, which is a sustainability indicator that takes into account the welfare of future generations by incorporating the changes in different kinds of capital. Acar finds that the exportation of agricultural raw materials is associated with significant deterioration in human development, while extractive resource exports, such as energy and minerals, have negative implications for genuine savings. Next, the book compares the development path of Norway before and after discovering oil, contrasting it with Sweden's development. The two countries, which followed almost identical paths until the 1970s, diverged significantly in terms of per capita income after Norway found oil.

Economic Policy Options for a Prosperous Nigeria

Economic Policy Options for a Prosperous Nigeria
Author: P. Collier
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 447
Release: 2008-04-24
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0230583199

This book demonstrates that there is sufficient evidence on the Nigerian economy and society to inform many policy issues, and reveals the current problems and policy options that a democratic Nigeria will need to debate and resolve. It presents an agenda of reform as unfinished business.

Energy, Wealth and Governance in the Caucasus and Central Asia

Energy, Wealth and Governance in the Caucasus and Central Asia
Author: Richard Auty
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2006-08-21
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1134194153

Drawing upon recent progress in development economics and political science, the book provides fresh analysis of the Caucasus and Central Asia (CCA) countries transition to a market economy by tracing the impact of natural resource endowment. The book examines the synergies between energy-rich and energy-poor states and highlights the practical consequences of both well-managed and poorly-managed deployment of energy. Featuring contributions from prominent specialists on resource-driven economies, the book argues that unless CCA elites change the way in which they deploy natural resource, revenues regional development will fall short of its potential with possible disastrous consequences. The contributors apply the experience of the developing market economies to demonstrate that the region still holds considerable potential to become an important, stable supplier of raw materials and a source of industrial demand to the global economy. However, the CCA is equally likely to become a threat to the global economy as a consequence of the misuse of energy revenues to promote the interests of predatory political elites.

Trade Logistics in Landlocked and Resource Cursed Asian Countries

Trade Logistics in Landlocked and Resource Cursed Asian Countries
Author: Kankesu Jayanthakumaran
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 235
Release: 2019-05-16
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9811368147

This book focuses on strategies to achieve economic diversification in Asian landlocked countries. It does so by analysing the impact of the Dutch disease, non-resource firm heterogeneity, trade logistics operations, trade facilitation, aid for trade, small and medium-sized enterprises, and foreign direct investment. Offering a wide range of expert views and opinions, research findings, information and data, the book will be of value to policy makers and students of trade and development economics.