Oil, Democracy, and Development in Africa (eBook)

This book focuses on the history, key industry and policy actors, and political economic outcomes in oil-producing African states, filling a gap in the literature on resource-abundant countries by providing an optimistic assessment of circumstances in contemporary Africa. John R. Heilbrunn's historical analysis investigates the origins of how different policy makers responded to inflows of oil windfalls. In doing so, Heilbrunn illustrates how outcomes vary as a consequence of the goals of particular actors that are distinct from the activities in their country's oil sector. This contribution calls for a reassessment of how we consider the impact of oil on developing economies.

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Oil, Democracy, and Development in Africa presents an optimistic analysis of the continent's oil-producing states. With attention to the complex histories, the interactions of key industry actors and policy makers, and the goals of diverse groups in society, this contribution fills a gap in the literature on resource-abundant countries. John R. Heilbrunn presents a positive assessment of circumstances in contemporary African oil exporters. The book demonstrates that even those leaders who are among the least accountable use oil revenues to improve their citizens' living standards, if only a little bit. As a consequence, African oil producers are growing economically and their people are living under increasingly democratic polities. Heilbrunn thus calls for a long-overdue reassessment of the impact of hydrocarbons on developing economies.