The Impact of Political Crisis on Natural Resources: A Case Study of Zimbabwe

Abstract

Political crisis has been observed in Africa. States are unable to deliver on their promises of development and good governance. As a way of attempting to remain legitimate, states pursue populist agendas, which in short involves relaxing the rules and institutions which common property theorists have argued are necessary for effective natural resource management. In this article, an attempt is made to trace the impact of such populism on resources using Zimbabwe as a case study. The article suggests the facilitation of viable exploitation of natural resources by clearly defi ned communities as one solution to the sustainable use of resources.