NaturalResourcesDevel:LatAm

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

Natural Resources and Development: Latin America Professor Osmel Manzano Over the last few years, El Salvador and Honduras banned mining, Venezuela opened for investors in its “Mining Arch”, the president-elect of Colombia has stated that oil production will continue, but that no new licenses will be granted while the president of Ecuador wants to open its oil sector for investment. Why do countries take such different policies? What has been the history of Latin America with natural resources? The role of natural resources on the development path of Latin America has been widely debated in the academic and policy literature. This issue is becoming more relevant in the context of global warming and the push toward decarbonization. Many countries in the region depend on the production of coal or hydrocarbons while others have the minerals required for the energy transition. What could be the impacts of these trends in the development of the region? This course evaluates the economics and politics of the extractive industries -mining and hydrocarbon extraction, the challenges of resource wealth management, and the relationship with economic development in Latin America. The aim of the course is for students to understand the different issues that surround mining and oil policy, and how they interact in the political context of Latin America. The aim of the course is to highlight the particular context where the region stands today and how the interaction of global trends with local challenges could affect the future development of the region.