Political Economy of Resource Extraction

The political economy of resource extraction examines how the control, governance and distribution of natural resources shape economic development, power relations and environmental outcomes. At its core lies the contest between states, corporations and local communities over the ownership and benefits of mineral, oil, gas and other resource rents. This field explores rent seeking, regulatory capture, institutional design and fiscal regimes that determine how revenues from extraction are captured and spent. It also investigates how global markets, transnational capital flows and geopolitical competition influence domestic policy frameworks. Environmental and social dimensions feature prominently, as extraction often generates contestation over land rights, labour conditions and ecological degradation. Recent debates underscore the dual role of extraction in funding public services and in provoking conflict or “resource curse” dynamics where wealth fails to translate into broad‐based development. Emerging work highlights the importance of transdisciplinary approaches that integrate political geography, development studies and ecological economics. There is growing interest in how digital technologies, speculation and social processes of “resourcification” reshape power relations in supply chains and create new forms of control. Policymakers and practitioners seek pathways to more equitable, transparent and sustainable extraction through reforms such as community participation, benefit‐sharing mechanisms and stronger environmental safeguards. By tracing the interplay of political institutions, market forces and social movements, the political economy of resource extraction offers critical insights into the prospects for just transitions in a world of finite resources.

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Political Economy of Resource Extraction publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in political economy of resource extraction across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Political economy: The study of how political forces and economic systems interact to shape policy, institutions and distribution of resources.

Resource extraction: The process of removing natural resources (minerals, fossil fuels, timber) from the environment for economic use.

Resourcification: The social and political process through which things become recognised and managed as resources.

Digital extraction: The use of digital technologies (e.g. blockchain) to track, certify and govern resource supply chains.

Speculation: The political‐economic use of uncertainty and projections to influence investment and policy decisions about resources.

References

1. Digital extraction: Blockchain traceability in mineral supply chains. Political Geography (2021).
2. A resourcification manifesto: Understanding the social process of resources becoming resources. Research Policy (2021).
3. Speculating on shale: Resource-making and the ‘politics of possibility’ in Poland and the UK. Political Geography (2023).