Paul Collier
While most of the developing world is rapidly escaping poverty, fifty stagnant nations containing one billion people are falling further behind, caught in structural traps that conventional aid cannot fix.
The poorest nations are paralyzed by cyclical development traps, including brutal civil wars, natural resource dependency, landlocked geography, and entrenched bad governance.
Abundant natural resources paradoxically stifle development by inflating currency, crowding out manufacturing, and incentivizing corrupt leaders to enrich themselves rather than serve their citizens.
Civil wars are rarely driven by historical grievances but are instead fueled by the economic incentives of rebellion, large youth populations, and the availability of lootable resources.