Unveiling Hidden Challenges of Resource Wealth

This piece engages with Lys Kulamadayil’s analysis of the so-called “pathology of plenty” by focusing on two aspects that emerge as particularly significant in the governance of natural resources. On the one hand, it examines the role of extractive contracts and the challenges raised by their opacity and limited accessibility. On the other, it looks at the consequences of resource extraction for local communities and indigenous peoples, and the extent to which their rights are recognised and protected. By bringing these two dimensions together, the piece aims to show how questions of transparency and participation are closely intertwined in the management of resource wealth, and why addressing them remains essential to move beyond the somber impacts and noxious dynamics described in the book.