Natural Resource Abundance and the Inclusion of Natural Resource Management in Intrastate Peace- and Ceasefire Agreements

Abstract: Previous research has not specified the puzzling occurrence of the low prevalence of natural resource management (NRM) in intrastate peace- and ceasefire agreements. The purpose of this thesis is to address this gap by applying the theoretical perspectives on high natural resource abundance. High natural resource abundance produces conditions for poor economic management, which may serve as a possible explanation of the low prevalence of NRM. The result of the study indicates a negative correlation between high natural resource abundance and an inclusion of NRM in intrastate peace- and ceasefire agreements. Thus, the hypothesis “If a high level of natural resource abundance exits, there is a lower probability of an inclusion of NRM in intrastate peace- and ceasefire agreements” is upheld. Since the assumptions of the theories do appear to hold, the thesis offers findings that further our understanding of the low prevalence of NRM in intrastate peace- and ceasefire agreements.