The stuff of legend: diamonds and development in southern Africa

Marcus Noland and Brooks Spector

MPRA Paper from University Library of Munich, Germany

Abstract: This essay establishes four propositions. First, the diamond industry has been a positive force for development in southern Africa. Second, jewelry, among the most profitable segments of the industry, is a non-essential luxury, and accordingly, consumer concerns over conflict diamonds pose a long-term threat to the industry. Third, key in conflict diamonds is violent political conflict, not diamonds per se. Fourth, the continuing challenges shared by the industry, the NGOs, and public sector are to strengthen the Kimberley Process Certification System (KPCS) to eradicate trade in conflict diamonds and to enhance the related Diamond Development Initiative to regularize artisanal production and bring the diggers into the system.

Keywords: diamonds; resource curse; Kimberley process; South Africa; Botswana; Namibia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L72 O13 Q34 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2006-11
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/15575/1/MPRA_paper_15575.pdf original version (application/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:pra:mprapa:15575

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in MPRA Paper from University Library of Munich, Germany Ludwigstraße 33, D-80539 Munich, Germany. Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Joachim Winter ().