The Oil Curse

出版者:Princeton University Press

作者:Michael L. Ross

页数:296

出版时间:2012-3-4

价格:USD 29.95

装帧:Hardcover

isbn号码:9780691145457

具体描述

Countries that are rich in petroleum have less democracy, less economic stability, and more frequent civil wars than countries without oil. What explains this oil curse? And can it be fixed? In this groundbreaking analysis, Michael L. Ross looks at how developing nations are shaped by their mineral wealth--and how they can turn oil from a curse into a blessing.

Ross traces the oil curse to the upheaval of the 1970s, when oil prices soared and governments across the developing world seized control of their countries' oil industries. Before nationalization, the oil-rich countries looked much like the rest of the world; today, they are 50 percent more likely to be ruled by autocrats--and twice as likely to descend into civil war--than countries without oil.

The Oil Curse shows why oil wealth typically creates less economic growth than it should; why it produces jobs for men but not women; and why it creates more problems in poor states than in rich ones. It also warns that the global thirst for petroleum is causing companies to drill in increasingly poor nations, which could further spread the oil curse.

This landmark book explains why good geology often leads to bad governance, and how this can be changed.

Reviews:

"Economists have mostly shied away from full costings of the ecological and social devastation of oil use. Were they to do so with thoroughness and authority displayed by Ross in The Oil Curse, they might start to develop the new economic model for oil and other extractive industries that is so desperately needed."--John Vidal, Nature

"[P]articularly timely. . . . Ross has an easy style and his central points are made clearly."--Ed Crooks, Financial Times

Endorsements:

"The Oil Curse is the best and most thorough examination that we have of the causes and consequences of oil wealth for poorly governed states. Oil revenues are massive, opaque, and volatile; they destroy the relationship between a state and its own citizens. Ross substantiates some of the common assertions about oil wealth, finds that others are incorrect, and offers some surprising discoveries. Very worth reading."--Stephen D. Krasner, Stanford University

"This important book brings new and timely insight into a key global phenomenon. High oil prices have triggered oil strikes concentrated in the poorest countries--the bottom billion. Will this time be different? Will oil drive transformation or cause a repeat of the history of plunder? Ross presents new research in an accessible style. Read it: understanding is the foundation for change."--Paul Collier, author of The Bottom Billion

"This is a masterful book. It provides a balanced and thoughtful overview of the wide variety of issues surrounding the politics of oil while also breaking new ground in research. The Oil Curse is essential reading for scholars and those engaged in public debates. An important contribution."--Robert Bates, Harvard University

作者简介

Michael L. Ross is professor of political science at the University of California, Los Angeles. He has published widely on the politics of resource-rich countries and served on advisory boards for the World Bank, the Revenue Watch Institute, and the Natural Resource Charter. His work has appeared in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and the New York Times, and has been featured in the Washington Post, Newsweek, and many other publications. In 2009, he received the Heinz Eulau Award from the American Political Science Association.

目录信息

List of Illustrations ix
List of Tables xi
Preface xiii
Abbreviations xvii
Country Abbreviations xix
Chapter One: The Paradoxical Wealth of Nations 1
Appendix 1.1 A Note on Methods and Measurements 14
Chapter Two: The Trouble with Oil Revenues 27
Chapter Three: More Petroleum, Less Democracy 63
Appendix 3.1 A Statistical Analysis of Oil and Democracy 93
Chapter Four: Petroleum Perpetuates Patriarchy 111
Appendix 4.1 A Statistical Analysis of Oil and the Status of Women 132
Chapter Five: Oil-Based Violence 145
Appendix 5.1 A Statistical Analysis of Oil and Civil Conflict 178
Chapter Six: Oil, Economic Growth, and Political Institutions 189
Chapter Seven: Good News and Bad News about Oil 223
References 255
Index 281
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用户评价

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这本书最打动我的，反而是那些极其微小却又无比真实的细节描写。比如一个角色在极度紧张时无意识地摩挲戒指的习惯，或者某个古老建筑墙壁上斑驳的苔藓纹理，这些细枝末节非但没有拖慢节奏，反而像是锚点一样，将宏大的叙事牢牢地固定在了可信的生活质地上。正是这些看似不经意的“真实”，让书中的人物拥有了血肉和灵魂，他们的喜怒哀乐才显得如此牵动人心。通过这些微观的观察，作者成功地将抽象的社会学概念具象化了，使得复杂的理论不再高高在上，而是变成了我们身边正在发生的故事。这是一种高明的文学技巧，它既满足了我们对史诗叙事的渴望，又提供了贴近生活的情感共鸣，读来令人感到既震撼又亲切。

这本书的叙事手法简直令人拍案叫绝，作者仿佛带着我们走进了一个迷雾重重的历史现场，用细腻入微的笔触勾勒出那些宏大事件背后普通人的挣扎与抉择。它不是那种教科书式的冰冷陈述，而是充满了人性光辉与幽暗面的复杂交织。特别是对社会结构变迁的描摹，那种由内而外的渗透感，让人不禁思考，我们今天所依赖的那些看似坚不可摧的体系，究竟是如何在历史的洪流中悄然成型的。阅读过程中，我时常需要停下来，回味那些精妙的比喻和深刻的洞察，它们像一把把锋利的解剖刀，精准地剖开了表象，直抵问题的核心。那种酣畅淋漓的阅读体验，很少能在其他作品中寻觅。作者的文字功底深厚，对语言的驾驭达到了炉火纯青的地步，无论是描绘宏大的战争场面，还是刻画人物内心的细微波动，都拿捏得恰到好处，张弛有度，让人沉浸其中，久久不能自拔。

我必须得提一下这本书所营造的氛围，那是一种混杂着古典庄重与现代焦虑的奇特气息。作者似乎对光影的运用有着异乎寻常的天赋，无论是对某个特定场景的阴暗角落的描绘，还是对人物面部表情的捕捉，都充满了电影镜头般的质感。那种压抑但又不失希望的基调，贯穿始终，让人读完后心里久久不能平静。它不仅仅是在讲述一个故事，更像是在构建一个可以被呼吸、被感受的“场域”。我尤其欣赏作者在处理关键转折点时的笔力，那种层层递进、步步紧逼的写作节奏，读起来让人肾上腺素飙升，恨不得一口气读完，却又想放慢脚步，细细品味每一个文字背后的深意。这种张力，是很多当代小说所欠缺的。

给外行和做政策的科普一下还行，理论和方法都太ad hoc太肤浅了。Tax和rents的关系才是要害。

第一次读到一本没有晦涩生词，用词简明的学术书，要哭了好不好。

第一次读到一本没有晦涩生词，用词简明的学术书，要哭了好不好。

第一次读到一本没有晦涩生词，用词简明的学术书，要哭了好不好。

总觉得定量研究自己编各种variable很玄乎