Natural Resources and Violent Conflict: Resource Abundance, Dependence and the Onset of Civil Wars
CER-ETH-Center of Economic Research at ETH Zurich, Working Paper No. 08/78
36 Pages Posted: 15 Jan 2008
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Natural Resources and Violent Conflict: Resource Abundance, Dependence and the Onset of Civil Wars
Natural Resources and Violent Conflict: Resource Abundance, Dependence, and the Onset of Civil Wars
Date Written: January 2008
Abstract
In this paper we examine the claim that natural resources invite civil conflict, and challenge the main stylized facts in this literature. We find that the nature of causation between resource dependence and civil war is opposite to conventional wisdom. In particular, (i) civil war creates dependence on primary sector exports, but the reverse is not true, and (ii) resource abundance is associated with a reduced probability of the onset of war. These results are robust to a range of specifications and, considering the conflict channel, we conclude there is no reason to regard resources as a general curse to development.
Keywords: Civil war, resource abundance, resource dependence, greed versus grievance, resource curse
JEL Classification: Q34, O11, N40, N50
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
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