Extractive Sectors and the Poor

This paper examines how states that rely on oil and mineral exports address the concerns of the poor. Its central finding is that oil and mineral dependence are strongly associated with unusually bad conditions for the poor. The report describes how oil and mineral dependent states tend to suffer from unusually high rates of corruption, authoritarian government, government ineffectiveness, military spending and civil war. Oxfam calls for full transparency in the financial transactions between resource companies and governments and a more proactive approach by international financial institutions and donors to alleviate these problems.