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The Prices of Wrath: Gold in Burkina Faso

Author

Listed:
  • Tebkieta Alexandra Tapsoba

    (Institut Supérieur des Sciences de la Population, University Joseph KI-ZERBO)

  • Jean-Louis Combes

    (LEO - Laboratoire d'Économie d'Orleans [2022-...] - UO - Université d'Orléans - UT - Université de Tours - NEOLAiA - NEOLAiA European University = Université Européenne NEOLAÏA - UCA - Université Clermont Auvergne)

  • Pascale Combes Motel

    (LEO - Laboratoire d'Économie d'Orleans [2022-...] - UO - Université d'Orléans - UT - Université de Tours - NEOLAiA - NEOLAiA European University = Université Européenne NEOLAÏA - UCA - Université Clermont Auvergne, UCA - Université Clermont Auvergne)

Abstract

Fluctuations in the price of natural resources are widely recognised as a driver of conflict, particularly in contexts where resources are abundant yet the environment is fragile. This article examines the relationship between global gold prices and conflict in Burkina Faso, a country where gold mining has expanded rapidly amid rising insecurity. Our hypothesis is that higher gold prices intensify conflict in gold-producing municipalities by exacerbating competition over resource rents and labour reallocation. Using an original municipal-level dataset (2013-2022) combining conflict events and measures of gold endowment, we employ an identification strategy that leverages exogenous variations in global gold prices and four alternative proxies for local gold endowment. Our results demonstrate that higher gold prices significantly escalate conflict in gold-rich municipalities compared to non-rich ones. We interpret this as evidence of an 'output conflict' mechanism: as agricultural productivity declines, labour shifts towards gold extraction, exposing local populations to predation by armed groups and exacerbating local disputes. This study contributes to the literature on resource-driven conflict by highlighting how global commodity price levels interact with local economic structures to fuel instability, with implications for policy responses in resource-dependent economies.

Suggested Citation

  • Tebkieta Alexandra Tapsoba & Jean-Louis Combes & Pascale Combes Motel, 2026. "The Prices of Wrath: Gold in Burkina Faso," Working Papers hal-05748282, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:wpaper:hal-05748282
    DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.22735847
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-05748282v1
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • Q34 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation - - - Natural Resources and Domestic and International Conflicts
    • O55 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Africa
    • Q34 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation - - - Natural Resources and Domestic and International Conflicts
    • O55 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Africa

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