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Title: The Paradox of Plenty: Oil Booms and Petro-States (Studies in International Political Economy , No 26)
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| The Paradox of Plenty: Oil Booms and Petro-States (Studies in International Political Economy , No 26) by University of California Press Interesting contribution to theory | | This book is a good contribution to the scholarship of one-good exporters, such as oil for many Middle Eastern countries and Venezuela. The author focuses on Venezuela, with occasional reference to other countries. The main thesis is that aside from the traditional Dutch disease of such intense exporters, there is an organizational component in the downfall of such plenty. For example, she argues that a large self-serving infrastructure and bureaucracy is built around the "pot of gold". She argues this may be one of the main causes that coutnries squander such valuable resources without ever refocusing them on the development of people (health and education) or the country's economy (such as through the extension of value-added activities). Overall, an interesting proposition, though I am not sure this is a phenomenon unique to countries faced with the plenty of oil or other products. It is a strong case that inefficiencies are added through bureaucracies, but I still believe much of the damage is caused by the traditional Dutch disease. | | The Paradox of Plenty: Oil Booms and Petro-States (Studies in International Political Economy , No 26) by University of California Press Great points - but somewhat academic | | This book provides an iron-clad explanation for the failure of oil exporters - especially developing nations - to use their raw material blessings as a lever for improvement. The author provides outstanding comparisons among oil exporters, along with amazing parallels to the Spanish empire. There's an important point here about how human nature and government limitations often doom these "blessed" countries to failure. Call it the King Midas effect... On the downside, her point is clearly made in the first 50 pages. In the remainder of the book the author goes into too much detail regarding the political evolution of Venezuela. And she fails to end with a reader-friendly synopsis or a glimpse of the future. With today's troubles in the Mideast, this book could have been a lay-reader best seller. Unfortunately the author's writing is aimed more toward Political Science professors than the general public. Still worth the purchase, however. | | The Paradox of Plenty: Oil Booms and Petro-States (Studies in International Political Economy , No 26) by University of California Press The Paradox of Plenty: Oil Booms and Petro-States. | | "[A]fter benefiting from the largest transfer of wealth ever to occur without war, why have most oil-exporting developing countries suffered from economic deterioration and political decay?" In her long-awaited study, Karl offers a sophisticated cross-cultural reply to this question, focusing on the capital-deficit countries of Algeria, Indonesia, Iran, Nigeria, and Venezuela. Finding inadequate the existing explanations that focus almost exclusively on economic disruption (the "Dutch Disease"), she notes the deep social and political roots of the problems and adds these much-needed dimensions to the discussion. Her complex argument boils down to this: oil booms (like all commodity booms) put enormous power in the hands of the state that suddenly has vast sums at its disposal. "How these states collect and distribute taxes, in turn, creates incentives that pervasively influence the organization of political and economic life and shapes government preferences to respect to public policies." In other words, "the origin of a state's revenues influences the full range of its political institutions." What appears to be a chance to do almost anything, it turns out, is in fact a very circumscribed choice. Though a Latin American specialist, Karl understands the Algerian and Iranian encounters with oil and has insights to offer all those who study Middle Eastern oil states-as well as those who lead them. Middle East Quarterly, December 1997 | | The Paradox of Plenty: Oil Booms and Petro-States (Studies in International Political Economy , No 26) by University of California Press very good book about what oil does to a country | | Basically, this book is a very strong and appealing summary of the consequences of over-reliance on oil production for developing countries. Not only results, but also underlying causes are considered: most attention is given to institutional and political aspects of what Karl calls "petrolization" of the state. He argues that petroleum is the only product, which creates strong long-lasting ties among politicians and institutions involving them into constant seeking of oil revenues (for their own as well as for state benefit). Future decisions in this environment are determined by actions taken in the past, which makes it very hard to break away from this circle. The case of Venezuela is especially well considered; much of the information is taken from Karl's conversations with Venezuelans top governmental officials and, hence, is of a great value. Carefully chosen data are well presented on a passionate manner which conveys the dramatic nature of changes brought by petroleum in this country. The future of new oil-producers becomes less shinning as we look at the data provided by the author. Only Norway, who managed to overcome most of the negative aftermaths of its oil windfalls, deemed as a winner within the group of oil producers. Karl ascribes this success to a well-prepared and robust bureaucracy and stable democracy existing in Norway. The only problem I see in this book is its superficial treatment of economic factors related to "petrolization" of the state. In this context, Oil Windfalls: Blessing or Curse? by Alan Gelb and Associates (1988) or Sustainable Development In Mineral Economies by R. Auty and Mikesell (1998) or would be the best supplement. | | The Paradox of Plenty: Oil Booms and Petro-States (Studies in International Political Economy , No 26) by University of California Press very good book about what oil does to a country | | Basically, this book is a very strong and appealing summary of the consequences of over-reliance on oil production for developing countries. Not only results, but also underlying causes are considered: most attention is given to institutional and political aspects of what Lynn calls "petrolization" of the state. He argues that petroleum is the only product, which creates strong long-lasting ties among politicians and institutions involving them into constant seeking of oil revenues (for their own as well as for state benefit). Future decisions in this environment are determined by actions taken in the past, which makes it very hard to break away from this circle. The case of Venezuela is especially well considered; much of the information is taken from Lynn's conversations with Venezuelans top governmental officials and, hence, is of a great value. Carefully chosen data are well presented on a passionate manner which conveys the dramatic nature of changes brought by petroleum in this country. The future of new oil-producers becomes less shinning as we look at the data provided by the author. Only Norway, who managed to overcome most of the negative aftermaths of its oil windfalls, deemed as a winner within the group of oil producers. Lynn ascribes this success to a well-prepared and robust bureaucracy and stable democracy existing in Norway. The only problem I see in this book is its superficial treatment of economic factors related to "petrolization" of the state. In this context, Oil Windfalls: Blessing or Curse? by Alan Gelb and Associates (1988) or Sustainable Development In Mineral Economies by R. Auty and Mikesell (1998) or would be a great supplement. | | The Paradox of Plenty: Oil Booms and Petro-States (Studies in International Political Economy , No 26) by University of California Press Product Description | The Paradox of Plenty explains why, in the midst of two massive oil booms in the 1970s, oil-exporting governments as different as Venezuela, Iran, Nigeria, Algeria, and Indonesia chose common development paths and suffered similarly disappointing outcomes. Meticulously documented and theoretically innovative, this book illuminates the manifold factors--economic, political, and social--that determine the nature of the oil state, from the coherence of public bureaucracies, to the degree of centralization, to patterns of policy-making.
Karl contends that oil countries, while seemingly disparate, are characterized by similar social classes and patterns of collective action. In these countries, dependence on petroleum leads to disproportionate fiscal reliance on petrodollars and public spending, at the expense of statecraft. Oil booms, which create the illusion of prosperity and development, actually destabilize regimes by reinforcing oil-based interests and further weakening state capacity.
Karl's incisive investigation unites structural and choice-based approaches by illuminating how decisions of policymakers are embedded in institutions interacting with domestic and international markets. This approach--which Karl dubs "structured contingency"--uses a state's leading sector as the starting point for identifying a range of decision-making choices, and ends by examining the dynamics of the state itself. |
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