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Resources and the Political Economy of State Fragility in Conflict States: Iraq and Somalia

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  • Ghassan Dibeh

Abstract

This paper studies state failure and governance in two conflict-states in the Middle East: Iraq and Somalia. Iraq is currently undergoing a social experiment under which a new form of government is being constructed after the passage of autocratic rule. The government envisaged is a consociational democratic state designed a priori as a political mechanism for the redistribution of resources, mainly oil. Somalia represents a stateless society or anarchy.

Suggested Citation

  • Ghassan Dibeh, 2008. "Resources and the Political Economy of State Fragility in Conflict States: Iraq and Somalia," WIDER Working Paper Series RP2008-35, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:rp2008-35
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    File URL: https://www.wider.unu.edu/sites/default/files/rp2008-35.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Martin C. McGuire & Mancur Olson, 1998. "The Economics of Autocracy and Majority Rule: The Invisible Hand and the Use of Force," International Economic Association Series, in: Silvio Borner & Martin Paldam (ed.), The Political Dimension of Economic Growth, chapter 3, pages 38-73, Palgrave Macmillan.
    2. Silje Aslaksen & Ragnar Torvik, 2006. "A Theory of Civil Conflict and Democracy in Rentier States," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 108(4), pages 571-585, December.
    3. Olsson, Ola, 2007. "Conflict diamonds," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 82(2), pages 267-286, March.
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    5. Anke Hoeffler & Paul Collier, 2005. "Democracy and Resource Rents," Economics Series Working Papers GPRG-WPS-016, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    6. Christopher Foote & William Block & Keith Crane & Simon Gray, 2004. "Economic Policy and Prospects in Iraq," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 18(3), pages 47-70, Summer.
    7. Torvik, Ragnar, 2002. "Natural resources, rent seeking and welfare," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(2), pages 455-470, April.
    8. Liam Anderson & Gareth Stansfield, 2005. "The Implications of Elections for Federalism in Iraq: Toward a Five-Region Model," Publius: The Journal of Federalism, CSF Associates Inc., vol. 35(3), pages 359-382, Summer.
    9. Findlay, Ronald, 1989. "Is the new political economy relevant to developing countries ?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 292, The World Bank.
    10. Mubarak, Jamil A., 1997. "The "hidden hand" behind the resilience of the stateless economy of Somalia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 25(12), pages 2027-2041, December.
    11. Leeson, Peter T., 2007. "Better off stateless: Somalia before and after government collapse," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 689-710, December.
    12. Ken Menkhaus, 2003. "State collapse in Somalia: second thoughts," Review of African Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(97), pages 405-422, September.
    13. Olson, Mancur, 1993. "Dictatorship, Democracy, and Development," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 87(3), pages 567-576, September.
    14. Ghassan Dibeh, 2005. "The Political Economy of Postwar Reconstruction in Lebanon," WIDER Working Paper Series RP2005-44, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
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    Cited by:

    1. Baliki, Ghassan & Brück, Tilman & Ferguson, Neil T.N. & Kebede, Sindu W., 2017. "Micro-Foundations of Fragility: Concepts, Measurement and Application," IZA Discussion Papers 11188, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Ghassan Baliki & Tilman Brück & Neil T. N. Ferguson & Sindu Workneh Kebede, 2022. "Fragility exposure index: Concepts, measurement, and application," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(2), pages 639-660, May.
    3. Makochekanwa, Albert & Kwaramba, Marko, 2010. "Dwindling access to basic services in Zimbabwe," MPRA Paper 28271, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Amara, Jomana, 2012. "Implications of military stabilization efforts on economic development and security: The case of Iraq," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(2), pages 244-254.

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    Keywords

    Democratization; Failed states; Natural resources; Political science; War;
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