Recent research undertaken by the Bank and others, suggest that developing countries face substantially higher risks of violent conflict, and poor governance if highly dependent on primary commodities. Revenues from the legal, or illegal exploitation of natural resources have financed...

As poor countries deplete their natural resources, for increased consumption to be sustainable some of the revenues should be invested in other public assets.  Further, since such countries typically have acute shortages of public capital, the finance from resource depletion is an opportunity...