African countries in their quest for independence have leveraged their natural resources in boosting economic growth, but with limited success in diversifying productive activities and alleviating...Show moreAfrican countries in their quest for independence have leveraged their natural resources in boosting economic growth, but with limited success in diversifying productive activities and alleviating poverty in the continent. The Resource Curse Hypothesis (RCH) suggests that their abundance in natural endowments paradoxically constrains developmental efforts. However, decades of study have failed to find a consensus on whether the curse exists and what are its driving factors. This thesis proposes an idiographic approach through process tracing to scrutinize policies and strategies used when managing natural resources and their derived revenues. Angola is the selected case study due to its high dependence on the petrol sector and its intimate connection to politics. Examining the economic trajectory in Angola evidenced how the concentration of political power, economic prioritization, and institutional development affected resource governance and, consequently, the way extractive sectors influence economic development. The conclusion is that the Angolan authoritarian regime prioritized its survival over the improvement of domestic market conditions, with limited positive impacts for the population while constraining durable economic development by over-relying on the petrol industry.Show less
This paper researches ethnic politics in Uganda and its relevance to Northern Uganda's transition from humanitarianism to development. Following the end of the LRA conflict, the Ugandan government...Show moreThis paper researches ethnic politics in Uganda and its relevance to Northern Uganda's transition from humanitarianism to development. Following the end of the LRA conflict, the Ugandan government sought to transition Northern Uganda towards development through donor funded initiatives. However, ethnicity appears to be a factor not considered in this process. Consequently, this paper explores an interpretative link between Uganda’s history of ethnic politics and the humanitarian-development transition. The methodology of the study has emphasized historical research to answer its hypothesis. Secondary and qualitative data in the form of books and reports were used to provide the necessary information and data. The paper establishes that ethnic politics has played an active role in Uganda's history since colonialism. Data indicates that President Yoweri Museveni not only came to power in this context but also carried out violence against the Acholi people in a manner that played into deep-seated animosity between northern and southern Ugandans. The core finding of the paper is that the government Peace and Recovery Development Program II contains four key aspects that can be interpreted as rooted in Uganda's ethnic politics of preceding years. Despite this, Uganda's history of ethnic politics is not explicitly addressed by the government in the initiative. The conclusions of the paper are straightforward. An interpretative link can be made between Uganda's history of ethnic politics and Northern Uganda's humanitarian-development transition. And this link is best represented by the experience of the Acholi people under President Museveni. Further research should reinforce this link using primary data.Show less
