by Kyong Mazzaro

There is a large body of research examining the impact of different economic models on countries’ levels of internal and external conflict. For example, scholars focusing on the links between trade and conflict find that wealthier countries have a lower risk of conflict. Others have found that developing countries that are highly dependent on resource extraction tend to be more violent and experience less growth, a phenomenon also known as the “resource curse”. In Venezuela in 2013 for example, one person was killed every 21 minutes, and the country registered 24,700 violent deaths or 79 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, which is the second highest murder rate in the world. At the same time, Venezuela was ranked ninth in the world for oil production and, with a GDP of close to $ 13,000, it is considered a relatively wealthy country. Researchers have come to realize that there are complex dynamics underlying the violence associated with the “resource curse”; in rich and poor countries alike, a mix of political, social, and economic processes can have varying impacts on levels of internal conflict and violence. In a recent study, researchers found that although resource dependence is indeed associated with higher chances of armed conflict and homicide rates, it is particularly found in nations with lower levels of sustainable development and lower investments in social capital and education. The study suggests that investments in social capital and education are both critical factors in reducing levels of internal conflict resource rich countries. It also makes a case for future research to better contextualize economic factors within broader sociopolitical processes when explaining and predicting conflict.

Carbonnier, G., & Wagner, N. (2013). Resource Dependence and Armed Violence: Impact on Sustainability in Developing Countries. Defense and Peace Economics, (ahead-of-print), 1-18.