Why Oil Impedes Democracy

The repression effect

The second causal explanation of why oil impedes democracy is the repression effect. It links the authoritarian nature of a state and ways in which it can maintain power through using wealth from its rents to help oppress.

With the advancing of technology the Internet, instantaneous communication and social media is now a part of everyday life across the globe. It’s hard to believe that people in Middle Eastern authoritarian states have no concept of the democratic process and the benefits it can bring to the populace.

“Citizens in oil rich countries may want democracy as much as citizens across the globe but the resource wealth may allow their governments to spend more on internal security”

Resource wealth often

However in the Middle East a huge proportion of its populous are often ignored and lack any degree of involvement. This sector is of course women.

In oil rich Middle Eastern countries, the role of women in social and political spheres is greatly reduced. This is for a number of reasons that ultimately diminish the need for women to work outside of the home and lower participation.

Firstly in Middle Eastern countries the state is often the largest employer with the oil industry providing a large percentage of these jobs. The production of oil is a very male orientated business with sectors like construction and heavy industry dominating compared to the smaller more traditionally female sectors such as manufacturing and agriculture. This leads to the smaller female sectors being crowded out in favor of more profitable male sectors.

With fewer women in the work force, these women in oil rich states tend to have less economic, social and political influence . When people work outside of the home they tend to gain better debating skills, organizing skills and become more politically active. This imbalance in power between men and women in the Middle East is a huge barrier for

I have outlined the causal effects that show exactly how a regime can use its rent wealth in order to maintain power and suppress and democratic movement.

I also believe that oil wealth will impede democratic reform for a long time to come, as mentioned earlier the price and demand for oil doesn’t seem to be slowing at the moment and as long as the treasury is full patronage can be paid and unrest stifled.

Oil revenues give these countries so much money that it takes away political and economic participation from its citizens while they remain bound to the governments as a supply of income, much like the governments themselves are bound to the oil.

The wealth generated from rents gives authoritarian regimes unrivaled economic power and in turn unrivaled political power.

Its quite clear that across the region, Oil has had a detrimental effect on the implementation and spread of democracy so I’ll finish with this tongue and cheek quote by Dick Cheney, then the CEO of Halliburton one of the worlds largest oil field services