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Open research questions in Natural Resources and Economic Development

138 gap statements mined from Natural Resources and Economic Development papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 1,777 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • One challenge identified is the lack of affordable substitutes for single-use plastics. Another challenge is the need for phased sequencing and integration of informal actors in implementing effective plastic bans. The study also highlights the challenge of weak consumer awareness and confusion caused by substandard alternatives.

    Readiness and the political economy of plastic ban in Nigeria: lessons from Tanzania · 2026 · DOI

  • The exploitation of natural resources by armed groups has significant socio-economic and security impacts, yet little is known about how these activities are organized.

    Exploring How Armed Groups Organize the Exploitation of Natural Resources · 2025 · DOI

  • The sub-national distributional consequences of the hilirisasi mandate remained critically underexplored prior to this study. Prior studies have not examined the specific role of resource nationalist industrial policies in generating spatially differentiated economic outcomes.

    Resource Nationalism, Enclave Industrialization, and Regional Divergence: A Spatial Econometric Assessment of Indonesia's Hilirisasi Mandate · 2026 · DOI

  • While aggregate indicators documented substantial Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows into metallurgical industrial parks, the sub-national distributional consequences remained critically underexplored prior to this study.

    Resource Nationalism, Enclave Industrialization, and Regional Divergence: A Spatial Econometric Assessment of Indonesia's Hilirisasi Mandate · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper argues that the lack of autonomy and effectiveness of anti-corruption agencies is a major challenge.

    Legal Frameworks and Enforcement Mechanisms Combatting Corruption in Chhattisgarh, India · 2026 · DOI

  • The study highlights the need for a more autonomous and effective anti-corruption agency in the state.

    Legal Frameworks and Enforcement Mechanisms Combatting Corruption in Chhattisgarh, India · 2026 · DOI

  • Existing studies rely on empirical political economy, lacking dynamic strategic modeling. The federal-state interaction is hierarchical and dynamic, but previous studies have not used a dynamic Stackelberg differential game framework to investigate this interaction.

    DYNAMIC OPTIMAL CONTROL OF OIL REVENUE ALLOCATION AND RENT-SEEKING UNDER FISCAL FEDERALISM: A STACKELBERG DIFFERENTIAL GAME ANALYSIS OF NIGERIA · 2026 · DOI

  • A gap in understanding the relationship between socioeconomic development, state sovereignty, and geopolitical disputes over energy resources exists. The imperialistic nature of international relations is not fully understood.

    RIQUEZA EM RECURSOS E TRANSFORMAÇÃO SOCIAL: A EXPERIÊNCIA LÍBIA ANTES DA INTERVENÇÃO · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research could explore the implications of the paper's findings for policymakers in resource-rich countries. Future research could examine the relationship between natural resource abundance and economic development in different contexts.

    Natural resource curse versus Dutch disease: the explanatory primacy of New Developmentalism over the paradox of plenty · 2026 · DOI

  • The need for a política industrial mais direcionada. The lack of investimentos voltados ao futuro da infraestrutura, do capital humano, e do setor energético.

    The financialization of the energy transition in Brazil: between de-risking and development · 2026 · DOI

  • The extractive sector has been overlooked as a driver of illicit financial flows. There is a lack of research on the transmission mechanisms of illicit financial flows.

    The extractive sector and illicit financial flows in Africa: mechanisms and policy implications for transparency and governance · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a gap in the literature on the comprehensive macroeconomic impact of the Petroleum Industry Act. Prior studies have focused on sector-specific outcomes and institutional reforms.

    Petroleum Industry Act and Investment in Nigeria · 2026 · DOI

  • The study argues that the current literature does not adequately address the issue of conflicting objectives of public enterprises.

    Privatization And Commercialization of Public Enterprises in Nigeria: A Reflection of The Preferences of The Ruling Elites · 2026 · DOI

  • The research highlights the need to explore the nonlinear effect of shadow economies on sustainable development.

    Shadow Economies and Sustainable Development in Africa: Exploring for Thresholds, Short‐Run and Long‐Run Effects Across Strong and Weak Institutional Economies · 2026 · DOI

  • Nigeria and other African countries need to develop institutional quality (Benghida, 2017). This is because these countries are believed to have weak institutions that are ineffective and inefficient. Corruption is a major bane of the African economic problem.

    Nigeria's Example of the African Resource Curse Phenomenon: Content Analysis Approach · 2026 · DOI

  • Canada's 13 provinces and territories do not provide a sufficient N for statistical analysis. Angus Reid has made survey results available for only six regions. The study is limited by the dilemma of restriction of range, as the provinces are so similar that any effect of the resource curse will be nuanced and immeasurable.

    Is Canada Immune to the Resource Curse? In Search of the Extraction-Corruption Linkage · 2026 · DOI

  • The study suggests that for oil-dependent countries to pursue sustainable tourism as a diversification measure, into their national development plan. Strategic investments in green sustainable tourism needs to be built infrastructure, community-based tourism and enabling policy measures should be made to improve the economy, environment and social inclusion.

    Tourism as a Sustainable and Economically Viable Alternative to Oil and Gas: A Review · 2026 · DOI

  • The challenge of preventing the misappropriation of funds and ensuring that they are used for their intended purposes. The challenge of balancing the needs of different sectors and stakeholders in the management of petroleum revenue.

    Framework for petroleum revenue management in Ghana: missteps, budgetary misalignments, lessons learnt and realignments · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of a focused approach to infrastructure development in the management of petroleum revenue. The absence of a long-term national development plan in the management of petroleum revenue. The need for a concerted effort to concentrate funds in one area, such as large-scale infrastructure development.

    Framework for petroleum revenue management in Ghana: missteps, budgetary misalignments, lessons learnt and realignments · 2026 · DOI

  • The need for rigorous empirical analysis of fiscal policy transmission mechanisms in resource-dependent economies. The lack of understanding of how institutional constraints and oil price volatility affect fiscal-growth dynamics. The limited knowledge of the effectiveness of fiscal policy in resource-rich developing economies.

    Modeling the fiscal policy-economic growth nexus in a resource-dependent economy: an ARDL bounds testing approach for Algeria (1990–2023) · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper argues that the neo-institutionalist literature and the neoclassical model of Dutch disease do not provide a comprehensive explanation of the paradox.

    Natural resource curse versus Dutch disease: the explanatory primacy of New Developmentalism over the paradox of plenty · 2026 · DOI

  • The extractive sector is a significant driver of illicit financial flows.

    The extractive sector and illicit financial flows in Africa: mechanisms and policy implications for transparency and governance · 2026 · DOI

  • Using an annual time-series design spanning 2006–2022, the analysis finds that a naive levels-based test of this relationship is inconclusive and substantially confounded by shared secular trends across the shock variables themselves.

    Global Shocks, Local Ventures: Oil Prices, Dollar Strength, and China's Economic Shifts as Determinants of Entrepreneurial Activity in the Philippines, 2006–2022 · 2026 · DOI

  • The study notes that resource revenues have not been effectively translated into financial deepening.

    Managing resource wealth for financial sustainability: Do coal, oil and mineral rents constrain financial development? · 2026 · DOI

  • Further research could explore the relationship between natural resource abundance and financial development in other countries, - Investigating the impact of different types of natural resources on financial…

    Managing resource wealth for financial sustainability: Do coal, oil and mineral rents constrain financial development? · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Natural Resources and Economic Development

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) One challenge identified is the lack of affordable substitutes for single-use plastics (“Readiness and the political economy of plastic ban in Nigeria: lessons from…”, 2026); (2) The paper argues that the lack of autonomy and effectiveness of anti-corruption agencies is a major challenge (“Legal Frameworks and Enforcement Mechanisms Combatting Corruption in…”, 2026); (3) The imperialistic nature of international relations is not fully understood (“RIQUEZA EM RECURSOS E TRANSFORMAÇÃO SOCIAL: A EXPERIÊNCIA LÍBIA ANTES DA…”, 2026); (4) Future research could explore the implications of the paper's findings for policymakers in resource-rich countries (“Natural resource curse versus Dutch disease: the explanatory primacy of New…”, 2026); (5) The lack of investimentos voltados ao futuro da infraestrutura, do capital humano, e do setor energético (“The financialization of the energy transition in Brazil: between de-risking and…”, 2026). 138 gap statements have been mined from Natural Resources and Economic Development papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 1,777 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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