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,...