IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/snbeco/v4y2024i6d10.1007_s43546-024-00654-1.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Political Commitment to resource management, the African case

Author

Listed:
  • Sampson Vivian Esumanba

    (University of Professional Studies)

  • Gyamfi Emmanuel

    (Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration)

  • Atsu Francis

    (Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration)

  • Nantogmah Danaa

    (University of Professional Studies)

  • Amoh John Kwaku

    (University of Professional Studies)

Abstract

Natural resources' importance in economic and social development has been a recurring theme in development and policy debate. While existing research on the 'resource curse' is inconclusive, many studies show that resource-rich countries have poor economic growth and development outcomes. Many of these studies, however, treat development outcomes as a byproduct of good resource governance, rather than investigating the relationship between resource governance and social impact or development outcomes. The primary goal of this research is to look into the relationship between political commitment and a variety of dimensions, including economic diversification, resource governance, fiscal sustainability, and social impact in resource-rich countries, with a focus on Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. The study aims to address the lack of research and policy attention paid to the role of political commitment in mitigating the resource curse with a data span from 1980–2018. The study is motivated by the little research and policy attention to the role of political commitment in addressing the 'resource curse'.The findings show that the majority of Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries in the study have low or very low levels of government commitment, as measured by the Natural Resource Political Commitment Index (NRPCI). Furthermore, the findings indicate that natural resource governance is complex; for example, Botswana has a high NRPCI score but a low social impact score, indicating that the benefits of the natural resource have not been felt in the lives of their citizens. This finding is still relevant in terms of policy implications. The index could be a useful tool in policymakers' hands as they attempt to address the multifaceted challenges that natural resource abundance developing and emerging countries face, as well as bring new perspectives to the natural resource curse research agenda.

Suggested Citation

  • Sampson Vivian Esumanba & Gyamfi Emmanuel & Atsu Francis & Nantogmah Danaa & Amoh John Kwaku, 2024. "Political Commitment to resource management, the African case," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 4(6), pages 1-19, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:snbeco:v:4:y:2024:i:6:d:10.1007_s43546-024-00654-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s43546-024-00654-1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s43546-024-00654-1
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s43546-024-00654-1?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Daron Acemoglu, 2003. "Cross-Country Inequality Trends," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 113(485), pages 121-149, February.
    2. Antonio Savoia & Kunal Sen, 2021. "The Political Economy of the Resource Curse: A Development Perspective," Annual Review of Resource Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 13(1), pages 203-223, October.
    3. Krueger, Anne O, 1990. "Government Failures in Development," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 4(3), pages 9-23, Summer.
    4. Gerelmaa, Lkhagva & Kotani, Koji, 2016. "Further investigation of natural resources and economic growth: Do natural resources depress economic growth?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 312-321.
    5. Jeffrey D. Sachs & Andrew M. Warner, 1995. "Natural Resource Abundance and Economic Growth," NBER Working Papers 5398, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Carmen M. Reinhart & Vincent R. Reinhart & Kenneth S. Rogoff, 2012. "Public Debt Overhangs: Advanced-Economy Episodes since 1800," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 26(3), pages 69-86, Summer.
    7. Nat lia HLAVOV, 2017. "The Impact of Mineral Resources on Development in Sub Saharan Africa," Journal of Advanced Research in Management, ASERS Publishing, vol. 8(1), pages 67-77.
    8. Anthony J. Venables, 2016. "Using Natural Resources for Development: Why Has It Proven So Difficult?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 30(1), pages 161-184, Winter.
    9. Robinson, James A. & Torvik, Ragnar & Verdier, Thierry, 2006. "Political foundations of the resource curse," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(2), pages 447-468, April.
    10. Bahar, Dany & Santos, Miguel A., 2018. "One more resource curse: Dutch disease and export concentration," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 102-114.
    11. Ndiamé Diop & Daniela Marotta & Jaime de Melo, 2012. "Natural Resource Abundance, Growth, and Diversification in the Middle East and North Africa : The Effects of Natural Resources and the Role of Policies," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 11956.
    12. Park, Bokyeong & Lee, Kang-Kook, 2006. "Natural Resources, Governance, and Economic Growth in Africa," East Asian Economic Review, Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, vol. 10(2), pages 167-200, December.
    13. Frederick van der Ploeg, 2011. "Natural Resources: Curse or Blessing?," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 49(2), pages 366-420, June.
    14. Richard Heaver, 2005. "Strengthening Country Commitment to Human Development: Lessons from Nutrition," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 7310.
    15. Faith Osasumwen Olanrewaju & Segun Joshua & Adekunle Olanrewaju, 2020. "Natural Resources, Conflict and Security Challenges in Africa," India Quarterly: A Journal of International Affairs, , vol. 76(4), pages 552-568, December.
    16. Steve Ross, 2015. "The Recovery Theorem," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 70(2), pages 615-648, April.
    17. Addisu A Lashitew & Michael L Ross & Eric Werker, 2021. "What Drives Successful Economic Diversification in Resource-Rich Countries? [“Blocking the Pathway out of the Resource Curse: What Hinders Diversification in Resource-rich Developing Countries?”]," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 36(2), pages 164-196.
    18. Ypi, Lea, 2016. "Political Commitment and the Value of Partisanship," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 110(3), pages 601-613, August.
    19. Dani Rodrik, 1996. "Understanding Economic Policy Reform," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 34(1), pages 9-41, March.
    20. repec:srs:journl:jemt:v:8:y:2017:i:1:p:67-77 is not listed on IDEAS
    21. Torvik, Ragnar, 2002. "Natural resources, rent seeking and welfare," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(2), pages 455-470, April.
    22. Michael Alexeev & Robert Conrad, 2009. "The Elusive Curse of Oil," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 91(3), pages 586-598, August.
    23. Gavin Wright & Jesse Czelusta, 2002. "Exorcizing the Resource Curse: Minerals as a Knowledge Industry, Past and Present," Working Papers 02008, Stanford University, Department of Economics.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Alssadek, Marwan & Benhin, James, 2023. "Natural resource curse: A literature survey and comparative assessment of regional groupings of oil-rich countries," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    2. Cheng, Zhonghua & Li, Lianshui & Liu, Jun, 2020. "Natural resource abundance, resource industry dependence and economic green growth in China," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    3. Dauvin, Magali & Guerreiro, David, 2017. "The Paradox of Plenty: A Meta-Analysis," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 212-231.
    4. Smith, Brock, 2015. "The resource curse exorcised: Evidence from a panel of countries," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 57-73.
    5. Edouard Mien & Michaël Goujon, 2022. "40 Years of Dutch Disease Literature: Lessons for Developing Countries," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 64(3), pages 351-383, September.
    6. Maldonado, Stanislao, 2014. "The Non-Monotonic Political Effects of Resource Booms," MPRA Paper 85649, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 18 Dec 2017.
    7. Tadadjeu, Sosson & Njangang, Henri & Ningaye, Paul & Nourou, Mohammadou, 2020. "Linking natural resource dependence and access to water and sanitation in African countries," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    8. Waqar Wadho & Sadia Hussain, 2023. "Ethnic diversity, concentration of political power and the curse of natural resources," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 40(1), pages 113-137, April.
    9. Andreas Leibbrandt & John Lynham, 2018. "Does the paradox of plenty exist? Experimental evidence on the curse of resource abundance," Experimental Economics, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 21(2), pages 337-354, June.
    10. Eoin McGuirk, 2013. "The illusory leader: natural resources, taxation and accountability," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 154(3), pages 285-313, March.
    11. Thorvaldur Gylfason & Gylfi Zoega, 2017. "The Dutch Disease in Reverse: Iceland's Natural Experiment," CESifo Working Paper Series 6513, CESifo.
    12. Chi-Swian Wong, 2021. "Science Mapping: A Scientometric Review on Resource Curses, Dutch Diseases, and Conflict Resources during 1993–2020," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-48, July.
    13. Fubing Su & Guoxue Wei & Ran Tao, 2016. "China and Natural Resource Curse in Developing Countries: Empirical Evidence from a Cross-country Study," China & World Economy, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 24(1), pages 18-40, January.
    14. Mamo, Nemera & Bhattacharyya, Sambit & Moradi, Alexander, 2019. "Intensive and extensive margins of mining and development: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 28-49.
    15. Daniel Aparicio-Pérez & Jordi Ripollés, 2024. "Disentangling the heterogeneous effect of natural resources on economic growth," Working Papers 2024/02, Economics Department, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón (Spain).
    16. Okada, Keisuke & Shinkuma, Takayoshi, 2022. "Transparency and natural resources in sub-Saharan Africa," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    17. Addisu A Lashitew & Michael L Ross & Eric Werker, 2021. "What Drives Successful Economic Diversification in Resource-Rich Countries? [“Blocking the Pathway out of the Resource Curse: What Hinders Diversification in Resource-rich Developing Countries?”]," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 36(2), pages 164-196.
    18. Shrestha, Santosh & Kotani, Koji & Kakinaka, Makoto, 2021. "The relationship between trade openness and government resource revenue in resource-dependent countries," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    19. Acuna, Julio & Balza, Lenin H. & Gomez-Parra, Nicolas, 2024. "From wells to wealth? Government transfers and human capital," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    20. Panos Hatzipanayotou & Panagiotis Konstantinou & Ioanna Pantelaiou & Anastasios Xepapadeas, 2018. "ERSs and Trade in Natural Resources: The Impact on Economic Growth and Poverty in LDCs," DEOS Working Papers 1809, Athens University of Economics and Business.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:snbeco:v:4:y:2024:i:6:d:10.1007_s43546-024-00654-1. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.