The presource curse of oil and international boundary disputes in Africa

Previous scholarship demonstrated that anticipation of future natural resource revenues can lead to negative macro-economic, political and social effects – including societal conflicts – even before resource extraction takes place – a phenomenon labelled ‘the presource curse’. By investigating the impact of the presource curse in relation to boundary disputes between African states, this is the first study that specifically examines the impact of the presource curse on international relations. Our evidence suggests that the anticipation of future oil and gas revenues played a very important role in the evolution of international boundary disputes in Africa, particularly maritime boundary disputes. At the same time, this study points to the increased likelihood of peaceful resolutions of such disputes.