Colonial Legacies and Institutional Barriers: Unveiling the Dynamics Sustaining Nigeria's Oil Related Resource Curse
Author
Cortés Del Fresno, Pedro
Term
4. semester
Education
Publication year
2025
Submitted on
2025-01-03
Pages
88
Abstract
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvorfor Nigeria, trods stor olieformue, fortsat præges af fattigdom, ulighed og politisk ustabilitet. Den besvarer spørgsmålet om, hvordan strukturelle, institutionelle og politiske barrierer, formet under kolonistyret og videreført af eliter efter uafhængigheden, opretholder den olie-relaterede ressourceforbandelse. Med en flerfaglig ramme, der kombinerer intern kolonialisme, neoinstitutionalisme og politiske adfærdsteorier (kognitive skævheder, patronagenetværk og rentierstat-dynamikker), analyserer studiet mekanismer som path dependence, ekstraktive institutioner, rent-seeking, institutionel inerti og kortsigtet beslutningstagning, der centraliserer kontrol og marginaliserer olieproducerende regioner, særligt Niger-deltaet. Metodisk anvendes et kvalitativt enkeltcasestudie med dokumentanalyse og deduktiv indholdsanalyse for at forbinde historiske arv med nutidig styring. Fundene peger på systematisk misforvaltning af olieindtægter, der konsoliderer eliters dominans og underminerer inklusiv udvikling; langvarig obstruktion af reformer som Petroleum Industry Bill illustrerer modstanden mod forandring. Afhandlingen bidrager til International Relations ved at sammenkæde koloniale arv og institutionel kvalitet med aktuelle styringsudfordringer og giver et kritisk blik på, hvordan historisk udnyttelse fortsat former ressourceforvaltning i postkoloniale sammenhænge.
This thesis examines why Nigeria, despite vast oil wealth, remains marked by poverty, inequality, and political instability. It addresses how structural, institutional, and political barriers shaped by colonial governance and perpetuated by post-independence elites sustain the oil-related resource curse. Using a multi-theoretical framework that combines internal colonialism, neo-institutionalism, and political theories of behavior and governance (cognitive biases, patronage networks, and rentier state dynamics), it analyzes mechanisms such as path dependence, extractive institutions, rent-seeking, institutional inertia, and short-term decision-making that centralize control and marginalize oil-producing regions, particularly the Niger Delta. Methodologically, it adopts a qualitative single-case study with document analysis and deductive content analysis to link historical legacies to contemporary governance. The findings indicate systematic mismanagement of oil revenues that entrenches elite dominance and undermines inclusive development; the prolonged obstruction of reforms like the Petroleum Industry Bill illustrates resistance to change. The study contributes to International Relations by connecting colonial legacies and institutional quality to current governance challenges and offers a critical lens on how historical exploitation continues to shape resource management in post-colonial settings.
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