Natural resources curse and entrepreneurship

New revelations by putting gender on the agenda and verifying Kuznets relationship

Bibliographic Data

ID12927874
AuthorsTekam Oumbe Honoré (Université de Dschang, corresponding author), Njang Gladys (University of Bamenda), Pilag Kakeu Charles Bertin (University of Bamenda), Miamo Wendji Clovis (Université de Dschang)
Year2025
Volume18
Issue2
Pages1-31
Publication date2025-08-05
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1756-6266 • E-ISSN: 1756-6274
PublisherEmerald Publishing Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1108/ijge-08-2024-0277
OpenAlexW4412955055
LanguageEN
References cited90

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of the natural resources curse on entrepreneurship by putting gender on the agenda and verifying the Kuznets relationship. Indeed, until now, the issue of gender in relation to natural resources has been less addressed by many authors, and more often than not, natural resources are fatally perceived as a curse, rather than a blessing. Design/methodology/approach Using a sample of 48 sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, a set of variables collected from the World Development Indicator dataset over the period from 1990 to 2018; this research combined parametric and non-parametric models. The feminist liberal theory, the evolutionary and the endogenous growth theories have been carried to build our theoretical framework. Findings Our results validate the natural resource blessing hypothesis, since natural resources improve the number of entrepreneurs, but with a greater effect on female entrepreneurship. The results also show that natural resource positively influences entrepreneurship, but this relationship is nonlinear. This result also confirms the inverted relationship of the Kuznets curve between the abundance of natural resources and entrepreneurship, and the existence of a dependence on natural resources. Consequently, to avoid natural resource dependence and the natural resource curse trap, SSA countries need to combine actions such as economic diversification, investment in education and training, urban development and infrastructure and the implementation of proactive policies that promote equitable access to natural resource rents. Research limitations/implications Although this article brings new insight, our model does not take into account the constraints and responsibilities that weigh differently on men and women. Therefore, using microeconomic data, future work should be able to mobilize feminist econometrics models to analyze individual factors that could explain why the effect of natural resources is greater on female entrepreneurship compared to male entrepreneurship. Practical implications Overall, our results imply that measures must be taken to promote and support women’s entrepreneurship and innovation in the extractive sector. Better still, public authorities should set up training and mentoring programs for women in the mining and agricultural sectors; create women’s cooperatives to facilitate access to markets and finance; adopt fair recruitment and promotion policies within extractive companies; encourage innovation and diversification by investing in entrepreneurial projects linked to the local transformation of resources (e.g. agro-industry and renewable energies); and support innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) via dedicated funds (e.g. incubators and loans at preferential rates). Policies should also include gender clauses in contracts for the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. employment quotas for women); strengthen laws against discrimination in access to land ownership and capital; develop school and vocational programs focusing on female entrepreneurship; and raise awareness of gender stereotypes from an early age to change mentalities. Also, a combination of factors such as economic diversification, the creation of sovereign wealth funds, investment in education and training, in urban development and infrastructure, and putting in place proactive policies will enable SSA countries to avoid dependence on natural resources and the natural resource curse trap. Originality/value This document sheds new light on the issue of natural resources and their role in social life. It is generally believed that the abundance of natural resources is inevitably a curse for the country that possesses them on its territory. It is also known that the natural resources sector is exclusively reserved for men to the detriment of women. This paper, therefore, shows that the effect of natural resources on the economy is a gendered phenomenon which requires a specifically feminist analysis. The paper also shows that, rather than fatally accepting the thesis of the natural resources curse, the relationship between natural resources and entrepreneurship should be placed in an evolutionary perspective and considered the inverted-U relationship

Curse · Development economics · Economic growth · Economic system · Economics · Entrepreneurship · Geography · Kuznets Curve · Natural (archaeology · Natural resource · Neoclassical economics · Political science · Positive economics · Resource curse · Sociology · Anthropology · International Development and Aid · Law · Mining and Resource Management · Natural Resources and Economic Development

Tools

Open DOI