Living in the garden of Eden: Mineral resources foster individualism

Mathieu Couttenier and Marc Sangnier

PSE Working Papers from HAL

Abstract: Using mineral resources discoveries in the United States since 1800, we argue that mineral mining fosters individualism. Measuring individualism and the demand for redistribution by questions of the General Social Survey (GSS), we show that: (i) individuals living in states with mineral resources are more individualistic and support less redistribution by the government ; (ii) the higher the number of mines in a states, the lower the support for governmental redistribution and the higher the individualism ; (iii) individuals that experienced mineral discoveries during their early adulthood are more individualistic and support less redistribution ; (iv) this effect vanishes over time. These results are robust to the introduction of various explanatory variables that may explain the formation of individualistic values.

Keywords: natural resources; individualism; redistribution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cis
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-00564920v1
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Related works:
Journal Article: Living in the Garden of Eden: Mineral resources and preferences for redistribution (2015)
Working Paper: Living in the Garden of Eden: Mineral Resources and Preferences for Redistribution (2015)
Working Paper: Living in the Garden of Eden: Mineral Resources and Preferences for Redistribution (2015)
Working Paper: Living in the Garden of Eden: Mineral Resources Foster Individualism (2012)
Working Paper: Living in the garden of Eden: Mineral resources foster individualism (2010)
Working Paper: Living in the garden of Eden: Mineral resources foster individualism (2010)
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