Rentierism and Political Violence

Nations with an abundance of natural resources suffer disproportionately from internal violence, especially civil wars. State reliance on external sources of rent revenue, or rentierism, can lead to violence for several reasons. This article examines three of the primary explanations for the association. A common explanation is that rebel groups are motivated to fight in pursuit of natural resource wealth. An alternative explanation is that grievances, at times resulting in violence, can manifest if rent revenue is used by the state to repress or ignore the citizenry. A third explanation notes that rentier states are structurally weak and therefore vulnerable to violent challenges because elites frequently use rent revenue for personal or political reasons, not national interest. This article also considers where this line of study might be headed, given recent developments. I suggest that future research on rentierism and violence should examine an array of rent revenue streams, not just natural resources. In addition, scholars should take note that resource industries are increasingly privatizing, which has important implications for the classification of rents and, more generally, the study of rentierism.