Political Challenges of Economic Development in Rentier States The Case of Kurdistan Region 2003-2020

This book investigates the relationship between politics and economics in rentier states, with a particular focus on the Kurdistan Region of Iraq from 2003 to 2020. Resource-rich states face low levels of economic growth due to the various factors of corruption, weak performance of institutions, poor levels of accountability and transparency in governance, and absence of rule of law. While most previous studies of the topic focus on either the political or economic concerns, this book focuses on their interaction.

The book explores the political hurdles in resource-rich states, examining to what extent this impedes economic growth through panel data from 51 rentier states from 2003 to 2020 with different political systems and different types of natural resource dependency.

The insights presented in this book have wider implications for understanding and solving similar hurdles in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and would be a valuable resource for policymakers, strategists, academics, lawmakers, and government officials in implementing sustainable development plans and reducing the negative impacts of natural resource over-reliance in rentier states.

1. Introduction.- 2. Literature Review.- 3. Political and Economic Landscape of the KRI.- 4. Institutional Quality in Rentier States.- 5. Economic Freedom and Economic Development.- 6. Political Challenges Impacting Institutional Quality and Economic Freedom in the KRI.- 7. Political Challenges and Economic Development in the KRI.- 8. Conclusion.

Ribaz C. Biro is a leading researcher at the Economic Research Center, Soran University, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. He received his MA (2019) in International Relations at University of Warsaw-Poland, and his PhD (2023) in International Relations at Soran University, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. Dr. Biro has a professional background in academia, consultancy, and management across various industries. His recognized research covers diverse political and economic subjects, with a focus on political stability, security, corruption, governance, foreign direct investment, natural resource economics, agriculture economics, and economic growth in developing and post-conflict areas. He is currently a research fellow in political economy at the Economic Research Center at Soran University, Kurdistan Region of Iraq.