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Confronting the ‘Resource Curse or Cure’ Binary

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Resource Curse or Cure ?

Part of the book series: CSR, Sustainability, Ethics & Governance ((CSEG))

Abstract

The use of the curse or cure dichotomy to frame a discussion around the impacts of mining is an oversimplification, not least in the emphasis on one or the other (as opposed to curse and cure). It is, however, a potent trope for engaging critically with the consequences of mining not only in narrow economic terms but also in regard to political, social and environmental costs and benefits. Further, as Goodman and Worth (2008: 201) point out, to engage with the resource curse or cure question is to also engage more broadly with “the internal contradictions of capitalist development” as evident, for example, in divisions “between those who benefit from and those who bear the costs of accumulation” and the many conflicts—political, social, economic, environmental—attending resource extraction. It is in this sense that this volume mobilises the ‘resource curse or cure?’ motif.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Dutch Disease describes a form of deindustrialization as occurred in the Netherlands in the 1960s following a boom in natural gas production and resultant reduction of manufacturing exports (Bridge 2004; and see Corden 2012 for detail in relation to Australia). Dutch Disease is seen to be one aspect of the broader resource curse phenomenon (Goodman and Worth 2008).

  2. 2.

    The Gini coefficient is a measure of income inequality in a society. Zero indicates total equality, and one indicates maximal inequality.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Social Sustainability, Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia

    Martin Brueckner

  2. Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia

    Angela Durey

  3. John Curtin Institute of Public Policy, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia

    Robyn Mayes

  4. Curtin Business School, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia

    Christof Pforr

Authors
  1. Martin Brueckner
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  2. Angela Durey
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  3. Robyn Mayes
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  4. Christof Pforr
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Correspondence to Martin Brueckner .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Social Sustainability, Murdoch University, Perth, West Australia, Australia

    Martin Brueckner

  2. Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, West Australia, Australia

    Angela Durey

  3. John Curtin Inst. of Public Policy, Curtin University, Perth, West Australia, Australia

    Robyn Mayes

  4. Curtin Business School, Curtin University, Perth, West Australia, Australia

    Christof Pforr

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Brueckner, M., Durey, A., Mayes, R., Pforr, C. (2014). Confronting the ‘Resource Curse or Cure’ Binary. In: Brueckner, M., Durey, A., Mayes, R., Pforr, C. (eds) Resource Curse or Cure ?. CSR, Sustainability, Ethics & Governance. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-53873-5_1

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