Drilling and Dissent: Oil, Corruption, and Contention - Evidence From a Multi‑Level Cross‑National Analysis, 2005–2019

• In Event: Peace, War, and Social Conflict Section Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Peace, War, and Social Conflict Roundtable #1: Conceptualizing and Measuring Conflict

Abstract

Existing scholarship links oil wealth to corruption, violent conflict, and protest, yet these literatures have largely developed in parallel, with little dialogue between them. Building on field theory, I conceptualize oil as a petro field—a strategic action field where states, companies, and communities, as the main actors, negotiate both the material and symbolic meanings of oil. Within this field, executive corruption generates collective grievances by creating clashes between what actors claim and what they actually receive, shaping a distinct form of contention that I conceptualize as petroprotest. Furthermore, I argue that contention is more likely to occur when oil is owned by National Oil Companies. I support these arguments with a multilevel research design using an original database of petroprotests from 2005–2019 at both the cross-national and subnational levels, along with an original survey in Iraq. Across these levels, I find a robust link between petroprotest and oil facilities, moderated by executive corruption; protests cluster around facilities, and individuals who perceive corruption and distrust NOCs are more likely to report prior protest participation.

Author

• Saber Khani, Boston College