PPPE6370 - Political Economy of Natural Resources

PPPE 6370 Political Economy of Natural Resources (3 semester credit hours) Does oil undermines democracy? Why do natural resources have a positive effect on growth in Botswana but a negative impact in Nigeria? Is there a relationship between natural resources and (civil) war? This course explores the politics of natural resources in both industrialized and developing countries. We analyze the effect of natural resources on a variety of economic and political issues, including growth, macroeconomic stability, corruption, civil war, women's rights, and democracy. During this process, we also focus on how political institutions and economic conditions shape the effect of natural resources. This allows us to understand why natural resources may have positive effects in some instances, but a negative in others. (3-0) T