The Resource Curse and Rent-Seeking in Angola

Carlos Barros

No 102, CEsA Working Papers from CEsA - Centre for African and Development Studies

Abstract: This paper analyses the resource curse and rent-seeking behaviour, aiming to advance the understanding of chronic poverty and underdevelopment in Angola. The paper presents a profile of Angola in terms of its politics, resources, economy and society. We find a paradox in the way that the country is currently being run. On one hand, it is adhering to sound macroeconomic policies, prescribed and drawn up by the IMF, partly intended to confront a “rentier state” characterised by widespread, high-level corrupt practices, such as nepotism. These are fuelled by the vast revenues that flow into Angola from its chief export, oil. At the same time, the majority of Angola?s population live in various degrees of poverty. On the other hand, political power is concentrated in the possession of a neopatrimonialist regime that is unlikely to change the status quo of its own volition in favour of a greater transparency and efforts to achieve a more equitable distribution of wealth and social inclusion. Policy implications are derived.

Keywords: Angola; rent seeking (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-afr and nep-ene
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://cesa.rc.iseg.ulisboa.pt/RePEc/cav/cavwpp/wp102.pdf

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cav:cavwpp:wp102

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in CEsA Working Papers from CEsA - Centre for African and Development Studies CEsA - Centre for African and Development Studies, University of Lisbon, Rua Miguel Lupi 20, 1249-078 Lisboa, Portugal.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sónia da Silva Pina ( this e-mail address is bad, please contact ).