Deep Ocean Ascension off Cape Town, South Africa, awaiting transit to the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The ship had been recently built in South Korea. Photo: Christopher Griner / Flickr
This interview is part of the series 'Development in the Face of Global Inequalities'. You can find out more about the series, read its articles and explore the interactive roundtables by clicking here.
Good sense might suggest that for a country pursuing a developmental agenda the abundance of natural resources can only be a good thing. Building schools, hospitals and infrastructure costs a lot of money, and the more natural resources you have, surely the more ambitious a country can be. Yet recent history is rich with examples contrary to this logic. In fact, quite perversely, the countries displaying the highest levels of poverty, inequality and deprivation are often those thought to be ‘blessed’ with high natural resource endowments.
