drs. (Xanegay) XS Huur - Finkie

Biography

My main research field is in Suistanable Development and Natural Resources. I am particullary interest in the suistanable development of small resource-based developing countries.

Most countries now a day strive to achieve Sustainable development (SD), which is reflected in countries adopting SDG goals in their national development plans and their commitment in meeting the SDG goals by 2030. The SD concept has also made scholars and policy makers to rethink the driving factors of development. With the SD concept, the driving factors of development have gone beyond the accumulation of physical and human capital. There is increasing consensus that capital in the form of natural and environmental resources (also referred to as natural capital) is fundamental to the functioning of the economic system of production, consumption and overall welfare. 

SD is a broad concept that encompasses three domains of development namely: economic development, social development, and environmental development. SD recognizes that economic, social, and environmental considerations are interconnected and must be balanced to achieve long-term well-being. Thus SD can be define as achieving social progress, environmental equilibrium and economic growth without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Why the link between Sustainable Development and Natural resources? Much of the recent interest in SD has arisen out of concern that current economic development may be leading to rapid accumulation of physical and human capital, but at the expense of excessive depletion and degradation of natural capital (Barbier, 2005). Natural capital is commonly differentiate into non-renewable natural capital (like fossil fuels and mineral deposits, which do not recover on a time scale close to the rate at which people use them) and renewable natural capital, which is active and self-maintaining. Despite being marked as an economic development-driving factor, the literature on resource wealth and development demonstrates that being rich in natural resources and in particular non-renewable natural capital have not contributed to SD in particularly low and middle resource rich countries (the natural resource curse). 

In general, most studies on the natural resource curse have identified various factors, which can be grouped into economic an political factors, to explain the existence of the natural resource.  Little attention has jet been given to explain the natural curse via social and environmental indicators, even when social-economic development tends to be lower in resource rich countries and the fact that improper mining activities imposes complex enviromental problems with adverse impact on a country's development. 

Why focussing on small commidity based countries? The focus on small states country is because there is consensus that small states are a special group of countries with compelling development challenges and special needs. A sizable literature has analyze the natural resources base- development subject for both developed and developing countries. However, very few have brought this concept into perspective for small countries who might already face development obstacles due to their smallness.