Mineral resources and economic development: A survey

The contradictory effects of the presence of a dominant mining sector have stimulated an intense debate in the literature, with these effects being seen either as a blessing or as a curse for economic development and policy-making in a developing economy. The direct or indirect implications concern aspects such as inflation, employment, and exchange rates. This article reviews some major studies on the subject and examines their contending hypotheses and empirical findings. The differences can be explained partly by objective differences in the minerals, countries and periods analysed. Particular attention is paid to South Africa and Africa, and to the preconditions for an effective use of mineral endowments.