Resources for Peace? Managing Revenues from Extractive Industries in Post-Conflict Environments
Publisher: Polictical Economy Research Institute: University of Massachusettes Amherst
Author(s): Philippe Le Billon
Date: 2008
Topics: Conflict Causes, Extractive Resources
Countries: Afghanistan, Congo (DRC), Israel, Sierra Leone
Revenues from extractive sectors play an important role in many post-conflict environments. Oil and gas, minerals, and logging often provide more than 30% of state fiscal receipts. When managed well, these revenues can help to finance postwar reconstruction and other vital peace-related needs. When mismanaged, however, resource revenues can undermine both economic performances and the quality of governance, thereby heightening the risk of renewed violence. Managing revenues from extractive industries is a crucial challenge for peacebuilding. This paper offers seven proposals that address this challenge.