Resource curse? The case of Kern County

Nyakundi Michieka () and Richard S. Gearhart

Resources Policy, 2018, vol. 59, issue C, 446-459

Abstract: The resource curse occurs when resource-rich nations grow at a slower rate than countries with fewer natural resources. Regional analyses of the resource curse have become more common. Kern County is California's top oil producing region but experiences some of the highest poverty rates in the state. This study employs the Vector Error Correction (VECM) and the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) models to investigate whether past and present values of resource abundance help explain educational attainment in Kern County. Findings from Kern County are compared with those of similar oil-producing counties in the state. Using data from 1950 to 2015, results indicate that there is no causality between oil, agricultural abundance and education in Kern County, while a long run relationship exists in Fresno County. Mixed results are obtained for Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Part of the explanation may result from the types of jobs available in these industries.

Keywords: I25; O13; Kern County; Education; Resource curse (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jrpoli:v:59:y:2018:i:c:p:446-459

DOI: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2018.08.018

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