Oil, Democracy, and Development in Africa

Rezensionen / Stimmen

'Through a close and detailed examination of the political management of oil resources in sub-Saharan Africa, John R. Heilbrunn has shed new and surprising light on the natural resource curse. After properly discounting for the historical and economic circumstances that confront petrostates in the years before they discovered oil, he finds little evidence of a curse. On the contrary, he carefully documents the emergence of internal political pressures and the evolution of industry-state relations that lead even the most recalcitrant autocrats to share oil rents with the broader population. This is a fascinating book that should be welcomed by students of both African politics and the natural resource curse.' Philip Keefer, Lead Economist, Development Research Group, The World Bank 'While sum of all its parts makes this book a great read, Heilbrunn's take on resource revenues, corruption and contracts in latter stages of the narrative should strike a chord with most readers ... The Oilholic would be happy to recommend it to fellow analysts, those interested in the oil and gas business, African development, politics and the resource curse hypothesis.' Gaurav Sharma, Oilholics Synonymous Report (oilholicssynonymous.com) 'The arguments made in this book present a robust challenge to the idea of the resource curse and provide a comprehensive survey of the ways in which natural resources can potentially facilitate the emergence of democracy ... This book will be of interest to a broad range of readers considering the potential impact of natural resource holdings on democratisation and governance in developing states.' Thomas O'Brien, Commonwealth and Comparative Politics