Do Natural Resources Really Cause Civil Conflict? Evidence from the New Global Resources Dataset

Abstract

Scholars have long examined the relationship between natural resources and conflict at the country level. More recently, researchers have turned to subnational analyses, using either individual countries or subnational data for a small number of resources in sub-Saharan Africa. We introduce a new sub-national dataset of [Formula: see text] resources that adds many resource types, locations, and countries from Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and Europe. To demonstrate the value of the new dataset, we examine how conflict incidence varies with the value of the collective set of resources in a given location using world prices. We then introduce new country-specific price data, which are more relevant for conflict dynamics. Since country-specific prices can be endogenous to conflict, we instrument country-specific prices using U.S. and world prices. We find that sub-national resource wealth is associated with higher levels of conflict using some specifications, though the results vary widely by data source and world region. Using an instrumental variables strategy lends the strongest support to this positive relationship, but only for African countries. Notably, across all of our models, we find that resources are negatively associated with conflict in Latin America, suggesting heterogeneity of effects worth future exploration.

International prices and continuing conflict: Theory and evidence from sub-Saharan Africa (1980–2017)

“…However, they determine that rising prices are related to shorter and less intense wars. Denly et al (2019) examine the variation of conflict incidence with the value of the collective set of resources in a given location using world prices. They use a new sub-national dataset of 183 resources that adds many resource types, locations, countries, and local price data from Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America.…”

“… 2 See among others: Collier & Hoeffler (1998/2004); Denly et al (2019); Bhattacharyya & Mamo (2019); Nillesen & Bulte (2014); Ciccone (2011); Angrist & Kugler (2008); Collier & Goderis (2008); De Soysa & Neumayer (2007); Lujala, Gleditsch & Gilmore (2005); Fearon (2005); Humphreys (2005); Miguel, Satyanath & Sergenti (2004), Bannon & Collier (2003); Fearon & Laitin (2003); De Soysa (2002); Buhaug & Gates (2002); Sambanis (2001); Torvik (2002). …”

Eclipse: How Darkness Shapes Violence in Africa

“…Carter and Veale 2013), such as rugged terrain (D. B. Carter, Shaver, and Wright 2019), rainfall (Kikuta 2023a(Kikuta , 2023b, temperature (van Weezel 2020), and natural resources (Aronson et al forthcoming; Denly et al 2022), this void of knowledge must be filled. To this end, eclipses provide a unique opportunity.…”