Economics
The Resource Curse and Its Impact on Democratic Institutions
Quick fact
Countries that are rich in oil and minerals are about 50% more likely to be authoritarian than their resource-poor counterparts, and the paradox is known as the 'resource curse'.
Why this is interesting
Imagine a country that has everything—vast oil fields, diamonds, gold—yet its citizens remain poor and its politics unstable. Why do many resource-rich nations stumble on the path to democracy?