Editing Resource curse (section)

{{Short description|Theory that resource wealth slows growth}}
{{Lead too short|date=June 2022}}
The '''resource curse''', also known as the '''paradox of plenty''' or the '''poverty paradox''', is the hypothesis that countries with an abundance of [[natural resource]]s (such as [[fossil fuel]]s and certain [[mineral]]s) have lower [[economic growth]], lower rates of [[democracy]], or poorer [[economic development|development]] outcomes than countries with fewer natural resources.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Smith|first1=Benjamin|last2=Waldner|first2=David|date=2021|title=Rethinking the Resource Curse|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/rethinking-the-resource-curse/98A68DF4E64A08EE1BCCA3099A49118F|publisher=Cambridge University Press|language=en|doi=10.1017/9781108776837|isbn=9781108776837|s2cid=233539488}}</ref> There are many theories and much academic debate about the reasons for and exceptions to the adverse outcomes. Most experts believe the resource curse is not universal or inevitable but affects certain types of countries or regions under certain conditions.<ref name="Venables 2016"/><ref name=":2" /> As of at least 2024, there is no academic consensus on the effect of resource abundance on economic development.