Dutch Disease and the Resource Curse: The Progression of Views from Exchange Rates to Women's Agency and Well-Being

TL;DR

This paper reviews the evolution of economic and social perspectives on natural resource extraction, highlighting gender impacts and questioning the universality of the resource curse theory in sustainable development.

Contribution

It synthesizes historical and recent scholarship, emphasizing gender-related social impacts and challenging the dominance of the resource curse narrative.

Findings

Gender dimensions are crucial for sustainable development.

The resource curse view may be less pervasive than previously believed.

Social impacts of resource extraction extend beyond economic benefits.

Abstract

This article provides an overview of the history of economic thought on natural resource extraction, which has long been considered an enclave industry with few benefits for areas beyond the local economy. We focus on more recent scholarship examining the social impacts of natural resource extraction, emphasizing gender-related outcomes and determinants. An important lesson from this scholarship is that it is difficult to discuss sustainable development in its contemporary sense without paying due diligence to the gender dimensions of natural resource extraction. A lesson highlighted is that the "resource curse" view of natural capital may not be as pervasive as previously thought.