Natural resources, innovation and development

This report reflects research efforts within the global network of scholars, Globelics. Within this network there are of course different views on all controversial topics including the role of natural resources in economic development. This report builds on and summarizes available research on natural resource, innovation and development, and concludes that natural resources are, under proper management, more of a blessing than a curse for poor countries. Although the topic of natural resources and development is particularly contested, scholars within our network would share the view that development must build upon what is already there. Therefore they would also agree on the main policy implications as outlined in the report. Diversifying the economy and promoting competence building through domestic and international forward and backward linkages to the natural resource intensive sectors is what OECD and other international think-tanks refer to as Œno-regret policy