‘May God Give Us Chaos, So That We Can Plunder’: A critique of ‘resource curse’ and conflict theories

Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt scrutinizes the increasingly popular theories of the natural resources curse, natural resource conflicts and natural resource wars. She argues that we need to rethink the issues around resource ownership rights as well as the legal frameworks governing and controlling ownership of the mineral-rich tracts of developing countries. Based on her activist research with mining communities she shows that mineral resource management is characterized by multiple actors with their multiple voices, and it is important for us to recognize these actors and listen to their voices. Development (2006) 49, 14–21. doi:10.1057/palgrave.development.1100268