| Recent research has substantially advanced understanding of the causal relationship between natural resource wealth and authoritarianism. However, another well-known literature in comparative politics has argued that oil wealth promoted democracy in Venezuela. This study develops an argument that helps to reconcile the apparent contradiction between these literatures and suggests a more general democratic effect of resource "rents." Besides positing dual authoritarian and democratic effects of resource wealth, the theoretical model developed here proposes several hypotheses that help explain variation in political outcomes across resource-rich countries. The argument is tested through statistical analysis, an extensive case study of Venezuela, and briefer case studies of Ecuador, Chile, and Bolivia. |
