resource curse
Sign in to saveAlso known as paradox of plenty, natural resource curse, poverty paradox
economic theory that wealth of resources slows national growth
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- paradox
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- facet of
- economic development
- on focus list of Wikimedia project
- WikiProject Climate change
- has cause
- wealth
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Encyclopedic overview
The resource curse, also known as the paradox of plenty or the poverty paradox, is the hypothesis that countries with an abundance of natural resources (such as fossil fuels and certain minerals) have lower economic growth, lower rates of democracy, or poorer development outcomes than countries with fewer natural resources. There are many theories and much academic debate about the reasons for and exceptions to the adverse outcomes. Most experts believe the resource curse is not universal or inevitable but affects certain types of countries or regions under certain conditions. As of at least 2023, there is no academic consensus on the effect of resource abundance on economic development.
History
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “resource curse” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.