Ownership of Resource Extraction and Violence: How private versus state-owned resource extraction effects the severity of violence

Natural resources;Violence;Extraction;State-owned;Private;Africa;Latin America

Hitchcock, Stacey Maree ; Devere, Heather

University of Otago

关键词: Natural resources;    Violence;    Extraction;    State-owned;    Private;    Africa;    Latin America;   

Others  :  https://ourarchive.otago.ac.nz/bitstream/10523/6853/1/HitchcockStaceyM2016MA.pdf

美国|英语

来源: Otago University Research Archive

【 摘 要 】

The relationship between natural resources and conflict has been extensively scrutinised in the field of peace and conflict studies. However, the effect of the ownership structure of resource extraction on violence requires further investigation. This article aims to describe the relationship between private and state-owned resource extraction and the severity of violence that states experience in Africa and Latin America 1989-2014. I argue that the ownership of resource extraction is significant because potential rebel groups will commit to the most effective and feasible strategy of violence depending on the anticipated response from the government and extraction company. When resource extraction is privately owned, rebel groups are likely to use low-level violence, whereas, when resource extraction is state-owned, rebel groups are more likely to initiate high-level violence and civil war. These conjectures are tested with a quantitative logistic regression analysis of the relationship between ownership of extraction and violence severity. I have collected original data on the ownership of mineral and oil and gas extraction projects for these countries 1989-2014. The results suggest when resource extraction is privately owned the likelihood of higher levels of violence decreases, and when resource extraction is state-owned the likelihood of higher levels of violence increases.