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Natural resources and internal conflict

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Schollaert, Arne [Universiteit Gent] Van de gaer, Dirk [Universiteit Gent]

We present a model of conflict in which each group decides to claim the country's income and invest in arms to accept a group neutral allocation of income and not invest in arms. Apart from the usual cooperative or conflictual societies, their strategic choice can result in hierarchically stratified societies in which one group is dominant. We show how the presence and exploitation of certain types of resources matters for the occurrence of conflict or social hierarchical stratification and for the possible effects of trust manipulation. In particular we find that, first, robust (encompassing point and lootable) resource rich economies tend to be conflictual, plantation economies hierarchically stratified and diversified economies cooperative. Second, foreign intervention, aimed at changing the balance of power in the case of conflict, is mot effective in robust and diffuse resource rich economies. Third, trust manipulation (as a means to counter conflict) is most effective in subsistence and diffuse resource rich economies. Throughout the article, we cite ample case study and econometric evidence to support our model.

Document type Article de périodique (Journal article) – Article de recherche
Access type Accès interdit
Publication date 2009
Language Anglais
Journal information "Environmental and Resource Economics" - Vol. 44, no. 2, p. 145-165 (2009)
Peer reviewed yes
Publisher Springer Netherlands ((Netherlands) Dordrecht)
issn 0924-6460
Publication status Publié
Affiliations Universiteit Gent - SHERPPA
UCL - EUEN/CORE - Center for operations research and econometrics
Keywords Non co-operative games ; Point resources ; Lootable resources ; Trust
Links
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Bibliographic reference Schollaert, Arne ; Van de gaer, Dirk. Natural resources and internal conflict. In: Environmental and Resource Economics, Vol. 44, no. 2, p. 145-165 (2009)
Permanent URL http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/73538