Green energy transitions and the temptation of natural resource rents

Experiences from Ecuador

Bibliographic Data

ID14969205
AuthorsJan Ickler (0000-0003-4144-1200, University of Kassel, Kassel, Germany, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume30
Issue2
Pages279-295
Publication date2023-04-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSouth African Journal of International Affairs (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1022-0461 • E-ISSN: 1938-0275
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10220461.2023.2221219
OpenAlexW4381144477
LanguageEN
Citations received3

In the last two decades, the Ecuadorian state, under the presidencies of left-wing Rafael Correa and his successor Lenín Moreno, has pursued a clearly marked development strategy based on the extraction and export of raw materials, especially oil. In Ecuador’s natural resource-driven development model, the appropriation and distribution of natural resource rents play a significant role. These rents render economic, institutional, and political reforms and development projects possible. However, the dependence of large strata of the Ecuadorian population on these rents presents hurdles for sustainable development in general and a green energy transition in particular. The article explores these challenges, emphasising the economic and political conditions defined by a rent-based logic. Although governments in Ecuador have started to acknowledge the role of green mining in the energy sector, a wholehearted energy transition or a push toward sustainable development might fail because of the formative power of rent

Appropriation · Development economics · Economic growth · Economic rent · Economic system · Economics · Economy · Market economy · Natural resource · Natural resource economics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Population · Sociology · Sustainable development · Law · Mining and Resource Management · Natural Resources and Economic Development

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Open DOIOpen Access