Resource Extraction and Protest in Tunisia (Pre-Recorded)

• In Event: Political Economy of the MENA Region: A Pluralist Approach

Abstract

How does resource extraction affect subnational patterns of protest? Comparative scholarship on the rentier state has examined the relationship between national resource wealth and political opposition. What is missing, however, is an understanding of the relationship between resource wealth and protest at the subnational level. Tunisia provides an illuminating case given the presence of resource-abundant subnational units alongside resource-poor subnational units. Using a mixed-methods approach, utilizing an original dataset of protest events in Tunisia as well as qualitative data sources, including newspaper accounts of protest events, this paper explores the effects of subnational resource wealth on protest. We find that resource abundant subnational units are more likely to experience protest than resource poor subnational units. In addition, protest tactics are centered around the disruption of extraction. Qualitative evidence reflects protesters’ frustrations with the gap between regional resource wealth on the one hand, and regional development outcomes, investments in regional infrastructure, and job creation, on the other. Protest slogans also reflect claims about resource ownership and demands for redistributive policies targeting resource-rich regions.

Authors

• Dina Bishara, Cornell University

• Chantal Berman, Georgetown University